The Pulse
by WindStar
Summary: Set during On The Three. After being beaten down for far to long Tala Ivanov has broken. Agreeing to leave Russia and escape the world he travels to Italy. To pull himself together he must truly know himself, and a play with a pulse may be what saves him.
1. Look Down

**Windstar: **Welcome to The Pulse. This story is a seven chapter story that is set within the story line of On The Three. In this story you must know a few things:

1. The Demolition Boys and Kai are apart of the International Security Agency and the BBA Secret Service and throughout the actual show, they are working to provide information that will bring Boris to trial for crimes against humanity and bring the Abbey doen.

2. Voltaire actually is a good guy believe it or not.

3. In this story, Kai met Tala when they were toddlers, as Tala did not have a name, Kai named him Luka. Later that year, Kai's mother adopted Tala and they do consider each other brothers. Despite that, they call the other Demolition Boys their brothers as well. The name Tala is in fact a nickname that Voltaire called him when they first met. It means Wolf in native american and Voltaire used it because of the boy's deep connection with the animal. Kai is also a nickname that Voltaire bestowed upon his grandson, his real name (given to him by his parents Aya Hiwatari and Nikoli Ivanov) is Sacha.

4. This takes place fourteen months before the world championships.

5. Anna is an OC that was introduced early on in On The Three. She grew up with Kai after he blew up the Abbey and is also apart of the ISA. She and Tala started dating each other, seeing each other twice a month when he and the others went to Voltaire for meetings (which in fact was a cover up to allow them to report their findings to the ISA). She needed to break into the Abbey to retrieve data that the boys couldn't get, but was captured. Boris ordered Tala to kill her, and he did in fact shoot her once in the leg and once in the arm. Anna managed to break free and run for it, and had fallen off the peir into Moscow Lake. Shortly thereafter Tala was arrested and Voltaire bailed him out of jail since the gun he'd been found with was rigged specifically to look to all others as a beyblade launcher and there was no proof he'd shot at anyone. Anna's body was never found. Tala however was convinced he killed her and fell into a deep depression, unable to truly move or talk. Because of his failure to kill the girl on the spot Boris commanded him to target shoot every day for hours on end, slowly the targets taking the shape of various images that the man had collected of the girl. Thus forcing Tala to shoot her over and over again. At the next Bimonthly meeting, Tala and the boys find out that Anna is alive. Tala though refuses to see her, and only runs into her by accident when he stormed out of the meeting room rather pissed off. He tries to kill her again, and once more fails - terrified by the sight of blood running down her arms and legs. Kai steps in and starts to talk to him to calm him down when the director of the BBASS drugs him into submission. When he wakes up, Anna is there and she asks him if he wants to leave the ISA, the BBASS, and the Abbey and just get away from everything that was terrifying him so much at that point. (His world successfully destroyed). He agreed, and they leave.

6. In short: it probably would be a _very _good idea to read On The Three if you have any hopes of understanding this story. It is the seven month hiatus that takes place between chapters: nineteen and twentytwo. On the Three is a WIP that has been completed (as in it has not been fully updated yet but the writing wise it is completed) and is expecting a sequel. Other stories in this series include Operation Desert Storm. The sequel is roughly five chapters long at the moment and is being worked on every day. This is a very long story line and it is very complicated. While you can read this as a stand alone (ODS as well) this will make far more sense if you read it as apart of the series. Thank you very much.

**Official Disclaimer: **Beyblade and Les Miserables does not belong to me, while many scenes, songs, and plot are quoted and cited, this is not a work that is receiving profit in anyway. All quotes belong specifically to the anime or play they are derived from and are all the creation of _those _writers. I did not write them and claim no ownership over the quotes that may or may not appear in this work. The only thing that I lay claim to is that of the characters not belonging to the original creaters of Beyblade or Les Miserables and all those responsible for the production of that work.

**Chapter One: **

Anna looked to her left where her companion was walking slowly beside her. His head was hanging low and he didn't look much better then he had the last time she'd looked up. In fact, he looked about as well as he did when he was laying on the ground of their headquarters, tears flooding down his face as he was held by his younger brother. She gave his hand a squeeze, but he didn't give one back, he just stared down at the ground and let her lead him.

They were at the train station, heading off to somewhere they'd never been. The plan was to go to England, a country that they both understood the language for, from there they'd make their next move. She would have told all of this to _him _of course, but he wasn't asking and she wasn't going to start the talk they so desperately needed to have. He wouldn't open his mouth, and so she wouldn't make him. He was too weak and too spent to be able to do that right now.

She longed to see that beautiful teasing light in those blue eyes of his, that happy smile that was assuring and satisfying. He wouldn't give it to her though, he was a wreck, both mentally and physically, and he couldn't make himself smile for her. She bit her lip as she heard the train horn calling off into the distance. The doors were opening, and they could board now. Clutching the tickets in one hand and his palm in the other, she quickly and awkwardly started to move towards the train, anxious to get to their compartment and sit down.

The bullet wound in her leg had just been restitched only hours before, but because of their haste to leave she hadn't had time to think about balancing everything and crutches as well. Her leg was smarting terribly, and she longed to sit down, but right now she had other things to worry about and she couldn't show weakness in front of him. She needed to be brave...but _damn _did that hurt!

He followed behind her, mutely, and with his head hanging low. There were people everywhere, but for once his razor sharp senses and his lightening fast reflexes were dulled by the trauma he'd experienced. He neither reacted nor noticed those around him. Red hair hung into his face, hiding him from the world around him and giving him a wall to shield him from their presences.

"Luka?" She whispered softly as she brought him into their room. He didn't look up, his hand had been freed from her cage, and he hugged his arms tightly. Was it just her, or was he shaking slightly. Perhaps this had been to much...maybe this was a bad idea. "Luka?" She closed the door, she didn't want others to see him like this. She didn't want others to stare. He wasn't a side show. He was her dearest friend...her boyfriend if he'd still have her.

The silence wore on, and the tremors only increased. There was a voice on the loudspeaker, and she knew they were about to leave soon. She reached out slowly, and gently moved him to sit on the bed. He was shivering, and she couldn't have him falling over because he had no sense of balance on this. She didn't want to deal with a head wound right now (not that she wouldn't deal with it if it happened of course).

There was a soft lurch and just like she predicted, it startled him, he pitched forwards, but she caught him gently and held him slightly. He rested his head on her shoulder and stayed like that for a moment, letting her run her hands through his tangled hair, letting her whisper sweet nothings in his ear. He was confused, and he didn't understand what was happening. All he knew was that he was no longer where he was supposed to be. He'd never been this far away before. Not without Boris. Not without the Abbey. He didn't understand what was happening.

The last time he'd been this far away from home...well, the farthest away he'd ever been was to the Headquarters of the ISA. That didn't quite count. He'd never made the decision to leave before. He'd never decided that he was going to go someplace by himself...well he wasn't by himself. Anna was there, but she didn't count. They had broken all the rules. There were rules, and they'd broken them. They'd left. They'd left the ISA and they'd left the Abbey, and now they were on the run – from both of them.

He didn't know what he was supposed to do, he didn't understand what was going on, or how they'd come to the decision to leave. He remembered nodding to her, saying he wanted to go, and then what? Suddenly they were at the train-station. He recalled a letter. She must have written it before they left. He didn't remember what was in it. He thought about his friends. They would be so mad at him. He left them. He left them all behind. He left them all to suffer and be killed....he couldn't get that thought out of his head. He was such an idiot.

"Sacha?" He called the name out without really thinking about it. He called it out because to him, Kai would never be far behind. Kai had been everywhere, Voltaire took him all over the world. There was even talk of Kai living in Japan for a while...so he had to be there now. Kai would never abandon him. Kai would never leave him to the dark...Sacha would never leave him in the dark.

"Sacha's not here." Anna whispered. She used Kai's birth name because that was the name that he had called out. He might not have recognized his brother's nickname...he was still in such a daze. She wondered briefly what was in that drug that Christopher had been foolish enough to give him. The drug only made him more scared and broken in his already hurt state. His safety net had been Kai, and when Kai...Sacha...had disappeared, he was terrified.

He didn't say anything about her announcement, there was nothing he could say. He shivered harder, and she held him closer, and they stayed like that until a man in blue came to ask for their tickets. She slowly unwound herself from him and she moved away, handing the two tickets to the man and then talking to him about when things were and what they could expect from their trip.

Luka moved back onto his bed and he curled up into a ball. He felt like he was going to break into pieces. He felt like his whole life was spiraling out of control. One moment he was in the Abbey and he was so convinced his girlfriend was dead, and the next moment he was aiming a gun at her – trying to kill her, then not long after that, she asked him if he wanted to leave. He'd said yes because in his broken state of being, he couldn't lie. He wanted so badly to leave.

She held out her hand and was more then willing to take him away, and he needed that. He needed that because without that he would be lost. Without that he wouldn't know what to do. He felt tears pooling in his eyes just as the nameless man disappeared down the hall. She closed the door and locked it and turned around, looking at him with that soft and kind expression that she saved purposefully for him.

"Luka...are you alright?" He shook his head. He felt sick. He felt like he needed to throw up. Vomit was raising in his throat and he clenched his eyes shut. Anna moved towards him and placed a hand on his forehead. It was so cool to the touch and he almost cried right there because of how wonderful it felt. She hissed softly. "You have a fever." He nodded more to himself then to her. He wasn't all that surprised. Considering the amount of stress his body had been through.

It had been raining when they were trying to get here. They'd walked for nearly an hour in the rain and when they finally arrived at the train-station, they'd been soaked clean through. They had been so wet and so miserable looking that he could have sworn that everyone was leaving them alone out of pity more then anything else. He felt his head buzz. He didn't feel good at all. He was starting to get so anxious and worried that that vomitous feeling in his throat was coming back full force. He hated that feeling.

"I don't have any medicine." She whispered to him, and he nodded again just to show that he was listening. He didn't think that she thought he was listening. She did, but he doubted her. "I'm going to go get a wet towel...lay down." He nodded again, and slowly leaned back, his head resting on the mattress. He didn't move to lay on the pillow, he honestly saw no point to it. Instead he just leaned back and he closed his eyes. He didn't feel all to good right now, and he didn't trust himself to feel much better later on. He wanted (quite frankly) for his brother to be there and to go to sleep.

Kai would be a much needed breath of fresh air. He would have made everything feel so much better because Kai just had that way about him. He was always calm and collected and he found it hard to feel bad when Kai was there and telling him it was all going to be okay. He needed his brother with him...even if it was only for him to yell at him and call him an idiot.

Even when Kai had lost his memories and he had been nothing but Voltaire's guest to the boy, Kai had been worried about him. Kai had told him to come back safely and not to do anything stupid...well that was half a decade ago and now Luka found himself desperately needing to know that his brother was still beside him – worrying.

He felt the cool cloth on his face before he sensed her presence and he tensed slightly. It was a true testament on how badly he was faring. In truth, he needed to change out of his wet clothes, but they didn't have any so this would have to do for now. She whispered gently into his ear, telling him that it was going to be alright, but he found himself doubting her for the first time. How could things possibly be alright? Boris was going to hunt them down and murder them like animals. This was such a bad idea. He shook his head painfully and tried to sit up. She pushed him back down without much effort.

"We have to go back." He murmured softly.

"No, we don't." She leaned over him, and tried to get him to sip some water from a cup. He did so, but it didn't look like he really noticed she was there. He was just doing it out of habit, something she wasn't truly liking.

"They'll kill us."

"Kai won't let them."

"Kai?"

"He's not here."

"But-"

"He doesn't know where we've gone, but I sent him a message telling him what the plan was, he'll be put in charge of tracking us down, and he'll keep them off our tail."

"I want him here." She felt tears in her eyes. Boris had truly done it this time, he had broken the spirit and soul of Luka "Tala" Ivanov.

It took hours to get to England. Hours that turned into days as time went on. They left the train inconspicuously at a rest stop, and decided to walk and hitch hike the rest of the way. Through it all, Luka said very little, and Anna didn't bother to say much more on the topic either. They held hands as they walked, Anna leading her friend with her as though she were leading the blind.

They had enough money with them to last quite a while, and so they stayed in various motels and hotels along the road, and slept outside only if they had to. They hadn't had time to pack anything, Anna had grabbed her laptop from Headquarters and a change of clothes that looked more like army fatigues then anything else. As they walked they looked like soldiers returning from war, or kids running away from military school. Either way people stared. They didn't understand what they saw, and they weren't supposed to either.

It was once they got to London, and were finally sitting down on a motel's mattress and stretching out their muscles from their long trek, did they start thinking about where they were going to go next. England had been the quick first choice because it had been the nearest country she could think of that spoke fluent English. From there she didn't know what to do. Perhaps going to America would be the next step, or even Italy seeing as how she knew passable Italian from her years living with her relatives. Although 'they' thinking about their next move was in truth 'Anna' thinking about their next move.

"I'm going to get us something to eat, you want anything in particular?" She murmured as she looked over at her companion. He didn't say anything, and she just nodded. Somehow she already knew that was going to be the case.

Sighing heavily she stepped outside and started to walk down the street. Her eyes were full of sorrow and her head hung low. She felt miserable in more ways then one, and there was nothing she could do about it. Ever since that day when Tala had been ordered to kill her, he had been in a constant daze and was battling with his very soul. He was tired and exhausted and his body couldn't seem to move with the graceful fluidity that it had in the past.

There was a small dinner not to far away and she slid into the booth farthest in the back once she walked in. Her back to the wall and her eyes easily able to track the movements of all the patrons in the dinner, she flipped open her cell phone and sighed heavily as she thought about what it was she needed to discuss with Kai.

Taking a deep breath she punched in the code that would bring her through a secure access channel to Kai's phone. A few moments later, a tired voice answered, and she cursed herself inwardly for forgetting the time difference. Not bothering with it now though, she moved on to her first order of business.

"We need to talk." She said simply enough. There was a pause and then the sound of ruffling sheets and a muttered curse here and there.

"I know. How's he doing?" The voice was tired and quiet, but it was sharp with the attentiveness of someone who had been trained to wake up in the middle of the night and deal with difficult situations.

"He's quiet." She summed up the best she could, explaining the fever and impromptu sickness he'd gotten. They'd finally conquered the beast not to long ago and yet he was still mulling about as though he were dead on his feet and barely with the world at large.

"It's strange...he's never really been sick a day in his life. Hurt yes, and injured definitely. As for a true sickness he's been rather lucky. Not even a cough."

"Yes well, my opinion on it was that he was so stressed out because of everything he couldn't maintain that perfect record anymore. He's back at the motel...I'm in a dinner and I'm going to bring him back some food."

"Get him a cheese burger."

"A cheese burger? Whatever for?"

"He's never had one. Our parents never really let us eat junk food, and Grandfather was always one for five course meals served on silver platters. Let him enjoy life without restrictions. He's in a world he's never been in before, start it off slow. It might just seem like a cheese burger now, but trust me...soon he'll move on to chips and ice cream and all sorts of things."

"Men. Always thinking with their stomachs."

"Anna, he's scared and he can't admit that. He doesn't know what it is he's supposed to do anymore, and you're the one that's been left holding the bag I'm afraid."

"I don't know what to say to him Kai...it's like walking on eggshells." She sighed heavily and leaned back in her chair, eyes closing slightly as she tried to calm herself. The waitress was giving her a dirty look, but she was ignoring it. She couldn't care less at this point.

"He's still the same person that you've known for the past five or six years Anna. He's still your Luka and he's still Tala. He's just a bit lost and confused right now. It's the first time he can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants and he's got to adjust to it. It's going to take a while but I know you'll get it."

"He just stares and sleeps. He barely moves and talks and he's always tiptoeing around like I'm going to strike at him."

"He doesn't know any different Anna. His world was ripped out from under his feet and he's back into a system that's tugging him in three different directions at once. He has responsibilities to the Abbey, the ISA, and himself and he's never been good with failure."

"He's not a failure!"

"I know that Anya, and so do you. The trouble is, _he _doesn't know that."

So that's how it was. At first she called Kai every few days, trying to plea for his help in what to do with the barely conscious boy who was moving around like a deaf and mute child. Once he even pulled the blankets off the bed and walked to where she was working on her laptop, his hair was a mess and he looked so much like a sleepy five year old just waking up from a nap.

He promptly lay at her feet like a dog and passed out, not saying a word as she continued on working. She didn't say anything either, although she did move to sit on the floor next to him. Even if the chair was more comfortable, she would not have him psychologically put her on a pedestal for him to look up to.

If there was one thing that she was starting to do more and more often these days, it was her attention to the work she'd been focused on in the ISA. She kept her mind preoccupied with her papers and her formats so that she couldn't feel the true blow of the sadness that was welling in her heart after seeing her love act the way he was.

The Black Dranzer Server was the focus of her work. She needed to create a system that wouldn't rely on the beyblade to work. It was a challenging process because she needed to copy and mimic all of the bird's actions and implant it in a chip that would run the program. She spent hours on end typing and working on her laptop just to find the solution.

Her father, adoptive father that is, frequently was online and through a secure channel and firewalls she talked to him on the computer in order to understand where his research was leading him. The man was a genius and he was working tirelessly every day to work on the project just as she was.

But the BDS2 could not be created or worked on with Tala around. So broken was he by the effects of Boris' work with his mind, that any talk of the server might push him farther over the edge. An edge that was the difference between him gaining his sanity back and forever remaining this broken shell of a gentle boy.

So she walked around London with him, trying to figure out where they should go next. They couldn't stay there for long, it would be the first place that Michaels would look for them, even though she trusted Kai not to share the information about their whereabouts, she didn't trust that Michaels wouldn't be hunting for them on his own.

She knew only three languages in the world, English, Italian, and Russian. While there were other countries that spoke Russian, she didn't understand their cultures enough to want to take the broken boy to any of them. English was a useless language in terms of where they should go, because those countries would be searched first. Italian was next. Well...Italy wasn't so bad, and Tala knew the language. _Where _in Italy, was the problem.

No where her blood family could find her that was for certain...so that meant it had to be northern Italy. The sea would be nice to live by as well. She'd run the idea by Tala later, but she knew that he wouldn't care in the end.

She came back from a food run and found her boyfriend laying up in the bed, the sheets twisted around him as a sign of the rough dreams he was having. His face was tight and clearly showing his pain and misery in the dream. His hair was everywhere, and it was tangling into knots that wouldn't be brushed because he wouldn't care later.

She moved forwards slowly, placing the food on the table. Then she hesitated. His hand was under the pillow, and that was a sign to her that there was something there for him to be holding on to. She knew better then to just grab onto him. There was a possibility of it being nothing, but at the same time, he could have stashed a knife or a gun under the pillow without thinking much about what would happen if she was the one to enter the room.

Carefully positioning herself so that if anything should happen the wall could act as a barrier, she flicked on the lights. Almost instantly he sat up straight, a knife in his hand as he looked around in confusion.

"Hey...I'm back with food." She announced as she looked at him carefully. He blinked at her, his eyes taking her in for a brief moment before he looked down at the knife in his hand. He bit his lip but didn't say anything. She knew that he was sorry for brandishing the blade though, so she didn't push it. There was no point.

Walking deeper into the room she passed him his burger that had been almost a staple since she'd seen the surprise and the enjoyment flashing through his face as he'd eaten it the first time. She'd do anything to make him feel good about himself, and if the cheese burger accomplished that then she was happier then a clam to be fattening him up with it.

There had been other things too, like cream soda. That had been something he'd actually reeled back from in shock. The bubbles fizzed in his mouth and he couldn't believe it at first. He had such a look on his face when he looked up at her in confusion as he tried to drink the beverage. It was humorous to watch his innocent curiosity about such a simple thing, but at the same time, it broke her heart.

At nearly sixteen years of age, he shouldn't have to be surprised at the taste of a burger or the flavor of a soda. It was a sad thing that he'd never had these treats before in his past. There simply hadn't been enough time and there was simply nothing that they could do about it. She wondered if Bryan, Spencer, or Ian had ever tried treats like these before. She wondered if their reaction would be similar.

She could easily remember the day when she first met Kai and how cold he'd been towards her. That night she had decided to try to make it up to him by doing something nice. She hadn't understood yet by what Voltaire had been saying to her when he'd said that Kai's legs were broken so badly he couldn't walk. She didn't understand much back then.

So she'd asked if it would be alright, and when she'd gotten permission, she'd taken the young boy out of the mansion and had rolled him through the streets of Moskva until she got to a diner and treated him to lunch. Really, Voltaire had treated them because he had given her the money, but it hadn't mattered. She was surprised when she saw that the then nine year old had ordered the blandest thing on the menu.

Chagrined, she told him to try to eat some of the burger he'd helped her order (she didn't speak Russian at the time). It was unbearably cute when she saw him recoil from the taste, blinking rapidly as he tried to figure out what was going on.

Sure he'd had parties at Voltaire's house where there hadn't been such bland food like he'd ordered...and yet at the same time, he'd never had the taste of just something simple. The burger had done him wonders, and he ordered more meals like it in the future. He still didn't really have a sweet tooth, but he _was _partial to some junk food.

It was probably why Kai had suggested the sandwich in the first place. He wanted his brother to start tasting life the way it was meant to be tasted instead of living only off of porridge and energy bars.

Anna felt bad at first when she realized she'd corrupted their unbelievably healthy diets with her junk food, but at the same time, it made her smile when she thought of how happy and delighted Tala had been for the briefest of moments when he'd tasted the burger.

He hadn't said anything to her before that point, he'd basically been akin to a wall in his conversations, and she had given up after a while. Yet when he'd tried that burger he'd looked up to her and thanked her politely. It was soft and quiet, but it was still there, and it had made it all the more worth while.

So now, after waking up from the bad dream, Tala was pushing open the lid to the carton that was concealing his food and he carefully started to pull the burger out. He was lost in thought, and she knew that, yet she couldn't help herself. She needed to talk, she wasn't locking her voice away because he wasn't answering.

"I was thinking about going to Italy next. Some place nice, maybe by the sea. Would you like that?" She asked him as he nibbled on the beef. He frowned and glanced up at her, not really replying but not ignoring her completely either. He was showing that he was listening, and she appreciated it. "Maybe..Livorno or some place. My family doesn't have any connections there, so it should be safe for us to be there." She continued, knowing he wouldn't answer.

She pulled a fry off of her tray and started to eat it. He watched her do so for a while before shrugging and looking back at his food. She sighed and nodded, a shrug meant yes at least.

They moved out of the motel after a few more days, buying some tickets at the airport to head over to Italy. From there they caught a few rides until they finally made it to Livorno. The town was small and yet beautiful.

There was nothing in it that could be determined as ugly. The small sea side town was lovely and so completely charming that it almost forced them to feel at home there. Tala wouldn't say anything, but Anna knew that he liked it without his voice confirming her suspicions.

They walked around the town all day, looking at various places that were for sale and then walking around just to do so.

The sea was stunningly beautiful and they sat out by it for a while. Tala kicked a rock back and forth with his toes, and she just stared over the sea, wondering what they were going to do now. It had been almost a month since they'd set out, and they needed to find a place to settle down soon.

She looked down at her watch. It was her birthday, and a place to live would be the perfect present. So they stood up once more and started to go to the nearest place.

It was a small cottage like home that was tucked into an unobtrusive part of town. One story tall it contained a living room right when you walked through the door, a kitchen on the first room to the left, and down the hall there was a door that led to one bedroom, and then there was a bedroom to the left of the hall and a bathroom directly across from that. From the kitchen window there was a ladder that climbed up to the roof, and if one sat up there one could see the sea perfectly well over everything.

It was quaint and tiny, and it was nice enough to look at – no to mention cheap enough to buy. Anna pulled out some money from her account and she bought the house right then and there. She'd had more then enough saved up anyway. Six years working for the international agency had given her quite the nest egg. Especially now that Kai was slipping huge amounts of money into her account for no apparent reason other then because he cared.

It was the perfect little birthday present, and they could easily find jobs that would support them since her nest egg had taken a huge blow because she'd paid the house off in one go. Jobs...what a silly notion to think that they'd need jobs after everything they'd been through. It seemed surreal.

Tala claimed the bedroom at the end of the hall, and Anna claimed the one across from the bathroom. It would be easier that way, she could set up the server in her bedroom without having to draw attention to its presence in the house.

Through all of the exchanges and processes of signing documents and the like, Tala ignored the scene and simply stared outside. He looked at the day and he looked at the birds, and yet it didn't seem like he was actually looking. It seemed like he was constantly prepared for something bad to happen and for life to stop working the way it was supposed too...he already seemed to think that was the case in the first place.

"Right, well, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask me." The former house owner said as he wrote down his number for Anna to read.

"Thank you Signore....?"

"Fratello, Alonso Fratello. Signorina." He introduced easily enough, eyes glancing over towards Tala curiously. "Is he alright?" He asked as he motioned towards the teen who was barely paying attention to the world around him.

"He's fine, thank you very much." She told him kindly. "I will be sure to ask you if there's any concern."

"You have a nice day ma'am...and thank you for all of your help." She nodded brightly.

"I'm just surprised you're giving up such a lovely home."

"Ah, well my daughter's having a baby and she and her husband are moving in with us so we've left to buy a bigger house we all can fit into comfortably."

"It's too bad, it really is a nice place."

"Yes, yes, well have a nice day Signorina. Signore." He nodded to both of them and Anna said her goodbyes for them both.

All the while Tala was quiet and withdrawn, not really paying attention to anything.

She sighed and led him towards the bedroom that still needed a bed. She placed a few blankets and clothes on the ground and she motioned for him to get some rest.

"I've got to go buy some furniture and stuff, I'll be back."

She was out for five hours, buying a couch, a table, and some throw rugs for the living room. She even bought a small television for them to watch if there was an interest. She then bought a couple of beds and some dishes for them.

It didn't take long, but soon the house was filled with everything they needed to make it a home. When night fell she ordered some real Italian pizza and the two of them ate it quietly at the table she'd gotten for the kitchen.

Their meal was simple and it was quaint, and as they sat in their house, they couldn't help but look about and take in the small fact that this place was actually theirs to live in for the rest of their lives if they so wanted.

Tala owned half of it, despite his lack of involvement, he'd signed the papers making it his home too. She'd thought he'd like having something that was his, but he didn't say anything about it. He just stared around in silence, not truly saying or acting like anything. Still, the house was theirs, in their name...or at least in Anna and Luca Trapasso's name.

Anna sighed and ran a hand through her hair as she tried to think about what it was they were supposed to be doing. They needed work. They needed to have an income, and they needed to get it soon.

The next day while Tala slept soundly in his new bed, she went out job hunting for them. She walked through so many stores and shops and agencies that by the end of the day she thought her head was going to explode.

No one wanted to hire two teenagers that had no record of ever being in school. Anna couldn't very well have said that she was apart of a government organization that had taken up all of her time and so she hadn't been to school since she was nine...just like how she couldn't say that Tala was also apart of that organization and while he was apart of a _school _it wasn't the school they would likely be thinking of.

Her last ditch effort had come in the form of a play house. One that was putting on a play in a few months and needed actors to act in it. She frowned at first when she saw it, but then she saw the pay. Even if they didn't get cast, if they worked on the set they'd have more then enough money to pay for utilities and they could fall off the map just like that. Nodding slightly to herself she walked inside and she filled out their names on the paper.

After reading what the play was about, she knew instantly that this play could very well be a good thing for them. Especially if Luka took something out of the play that they would be working on. She thanked the lady at the desk and she returned home. They had work to do.

**Windstar: **Things pick up from here on out, and this chapter reall is a starter to the whole story. Again, this is part 1 of 7 and so it's not very long. As these chapters tie in with the future, the posts will depend on what gets revealed as time goes by. This story will most likely end after On The Three, despite how short it is. Look forward to the next update which will be next monday, and I hope you enjoyed!


	2. Castle On A Cloud

**Windstar: **Here's the second chapter of The Pulse. I hope you all enjoyed it. Someone wanted to know why it was that it was alright for Tala to buy the house, and my response is simply this: the age of consent and adult hood is different in different countries. Not only that, but even if there was a problem, Anna could most certainly come up with the papers. It's not an issue. I hope that clarifies things!

Thanks to my two wonderful reviewers, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Chapter Two: **

Tala hadn't been entirely all for Anna's idea to work at the theater that was just down the road from their seaside home. Yet he knew that they needed money, and so he agreed without so much as a frown in her direction. She insisted over and over again that they paid well at the theater and that they'd make more then enough to live comfortably there. So he nodded and continued to poke at the food she'd made that night, his eyes full of that blank emptiness that he'd always had after the incident at headquarters.

Anna sighed slightly and leaned forwards on her hands, ignoring the impolite etiquette as she looked at him quietly. He had barely spoken more then three words to her since they'd moved in, and even less before that. So in all honesty, those three words were treasures, but she'd been at least hoping he'd ask her what the play was.

"Aren't you the least bit curious?" She asked him as she tried to get him to make eye contact. He shrugged non-commitedly. "You know you're going to have to read lines and the like if you're going to do this." He nodded. "That means you're actually going to have to talk."

"I talk." He murmured back, coughing slightly as his strained vocal chords tried to move efficiently. He took a sip of water and grimaced slightly before looking up at her. She was staring at him with a well-there-you-have-it look.

"It's Les Miserables by the way." He raised an eye brow at her expectantly. "It's about a group of people and their shitty lives basically." She elaborated.

"Sounds like a ray of sunshine." He muttered as he poked at a meatball. She smiled, that was a comment he would have said not too long ago.

"It's a musical." He glowered.

"I don't sing." It was the most they'd ever spoken in ages, and despite the boy's obvious reluctance, Anna couldn't be happier. She was grinning happily and going on without feeling deterred in the slightest. He was starting to finally come out of his shell and act like a normal person, and it was something she was excited about.

"Yes you do, I've heard you before."

"Anna..."

"You already agreed." She reminded and he sighed and nodded before finishing his meal and standing up. Walking over to the sink he placed it in it and started to run water on it. His eyes stared at it for a long while, watching the sauce as it went down the drain. She came up behind him, her hands wrapping around his stomach from behind. Her head resting on his back. They stayed like that for a while, just listening to the water running into the sink as the waves in the background crashed against the shore.

Tala was quiet the whole while, not saying anything but letting her stay there anyway. He didn't seem to mind her presence there, and he didn't seem in too much of a hurry to move away. The plate had finished being being cleaned, but it didn't matter. He didn't move to turn off the faucet.

She hummed quietly from behind him and he closed his eyes, his mind taking him to another time and place where he was certain he could have made this moment some how romantic. A time and place where he could have spun her around and treated her as a woman deserved to be treated. She was always doing so much for him and so much for a fight that wasn't even hers. She deserved to be treated well...not be ignored and brushed aside – something he was doing more often then not. Sighing miserably he opened his eyes and turned off the faucet. She released him and he moved passed her without another word. There was really nothing for him to say. Or rather, there were so many things to say and not enough of them were worth while. He couldn't bring himself to say the right words.

That night he sat out on the roof. Watching the waves as they crashed along the shore so far away. The gulls ducked down and caught fish, cawing happily. There were children laughing and playing somewhere near-bye, but he didn't know where. He glanced down briefly when Anna told him that she was going to go to bed, and nodded to show that he'd heard. He had to force himself to remember to do it too. He always forgot...and she always looked like she thought he wasn't listening. Then again, she didn't have much to go on, he barely ever made it look like he had heard her. He just stared and stared, and that was a habit that he was slowly getting more and more involved in.

When the world went quiet, and the sun had ducked beneath the hills, he slid from the roof and into the kitchen. There wasn't any dessert there, and he was longing for something...he just couldn't remember what it was called. His memory had been dodgy lately. Not that he was forgetting his past, more like he couldn't remember the present. He kept forgetting simple things like closing doors behind him and the names of foods that he'd just had. Whole meals vanished, simple conversations dissipated. He didn't worry much about it though.

He walked out the door and he started down the sidewalk, trying to pinpoint the nearest store that would be open. Perhaps a gelato place...he walked slowly, pulling his sweatshirt around him tighter as a wind picked up and nipped at his skin. It was mid-fall now and the wind was picking up and getting chillier with each passing moment.

He glanced around him after a few minutes and hesitated. He didn't know where he was. He looked back the way he came, but it didn't look familiar either. All the street names were strange, and the buildings looked unusual. He bit his lip and took a step backwards, intending to head back to the house. This walk had been a snap decision and suddenly he didn't think it was that great of an idea. He hurried down the sidewalk, but no matter how far he went he couldn't remember which way to go. He looked at his watch and blinked. It was nearly midnight. He had left around ten. He'd walked for two hours to store only five minutes away.

Feeling incredibly foolish he slipped his hand into his pocket. His fingers hesitated though when they touched the phone that was there. Calling Anna would only make her worry. She was worrying enough about him without thinking he couldn't even walk out of the house and make it back in a reasonable amount of time. Biting his lip he looked around, it couldn't be that hard to find it...

So he started walking some more, his feet hitting the ground at a steady pace as he walked more and more. He took in all the sights, staring at the statues and the architecture that was so beautiful. Feeling a bit of a thrill at being out of the house for so long in the first place he put off going home and just started sight seeing.

He'd always been a creature of the night in the first place. As a child he'd snuck out of his room in the Abbey and had walked around with his _brothers_. He liked doing it then, and this was no different...it was just bigger. It didn't take him all that long to get to the sea that was still moving with such a force that it drew him towards it. He climbed down the rocks and made it to the water, his feet touching it. He looked down and stared at the flip flops he didn't really recall putting on and shrugged. He didn't care if they got wet, and suddenly he felt like going for a swim. He couldn't remember the last time he'd gone swimming...in fact he couldn't remember a first time either. There'd never been a point when he was living in Russia, and he'd never had a chance any other time. He cracked a grin. The secret for bringing down the Abbey was a flood, no one knew how to swim!

He waded slowly into the water, feeling it float around him as he ignored the fact that his shorts were getting wet. He closed his eyes and wondered how hard it would be to teach himself how to swim...probably not that hard...then he ducked down and took a deep breath before going completely under.

For a moment everything seemed fine, he could still touch to bottom so there wasn't really much threat, but suddenly he came up and stared at the shore line that was moving away. He opened his mouth as though to ask why, but all he got was a breath full of water. He gasped, making things worse, and flailed slightly, trying to figure out what was going on. It didn't hit him until his sandled feet couldn't touch down any more...the tide was carrying him out to see.

He gasped, and flailed, trying to figure out what he was supposed to do, and feeling like a complete idiot for trying this venture at twelve at night. Yet with each frantic stroke he only ended up getting farther and farther away, and soon he was seeing black as he couldn't grasp at enough air. All he could think of was Anna's face at that moment. He hadn't called her because he'd known she'd be worried, and now she was going to hear that he'd drowned...she'd probably think he'd killed himself.

He felt himself sinking lower and lower in the water. He felt his sandles slipping off his feet and then all at once something was grabbing him and pulling him up towards the surface. He gasped, gagging slightly as he remained motionless in whoever it was's hold.

He felt himself get pulled to shore, the person, a male, continually asking him if he was alive. He nodded over and over again, coughing and struggling to breathe as he was pulled onto the rocks. The man's face came into focus them, an older person about sixty or so. He was dressed in all his clothes and it looked like he'd just dove in to bring him back.

"What the hell were you thinking stupid boy?" The man asked as he glowered down at the teen. He blinked slightly, trying to figure out what he was talking about. He didn't know quite what to say, so he didn't say anything, just stared up at him in confusion – feeling like a complete moron. "Well? Are you deaf?" Personally affronted, the teen shook his head, coughing still, but managing to push himself up. The man patted his back a few times before forcing the teen to look him in the eye. "Were you trying to kill yourself?" He asked seriously. The teen frowned and shook his head. "Then what were you doing?!"

"I-" He hesitated and looked away, suddenly feeling very foolish. He hadn't talked to anyone he didn't know in so long...he'd always just let Anna handle it. In hindsight, he probably would have just stared at the gelato man too because he wouldn't know how to speak to him either. His social skills had all but been destroyed...

"Oh so you can speak." The man muttered as he rolled his eyes. The teen blushed in the dark and nodded. "Well come on, speak up." He encouraged lightly, keeping his eyes locked on the boy.

"I...wanted to learn how to swim..." He whispered before looking up. He expected the man to look annoyed or even upset at the idea that he'd been such an idiot, but instead the teen couldn't even describe the way the man was looking at him. Then all at once he noticed the closeness between them and he shifted backwards to put some distance between them. The man noticed it, but didn't say anything.

"Where are you from kid?" he asked instead. "Where are your parents?"

"My...parents?" He murmured trying to figure out how he could describe his _father _and how he'd been responsible for his _mother's_ death. Then again, the man also murdered his adoptive parents too...then he'd run away from the man and he and Anna had taken refuge here...how did one explain that to a complete stranger that had just saved one's live from drowning? Because _he _certainly didn't know.

"Yes, your parents."

"Ah...dead. Gone...I don't know." He mumbled as he tried to figure out just what it was he should say. He blinked a few times and rubbed his head in silence. He felt awkward talking to this man and suddenly he remembered something - "T-thank you. For...you know..." he motioned back towards the water.

"It's fine...are you from Roma?"

"No, why?"

"Your accent..." Tala's mouth dropped. He stared at the man with such a dumbfounded expression on his face that he didn't know quite what to say or do. He'd not even noticed the difference. He'd always been able to speak the language without any worry about an accent problem, and yet he'd been taught _from _a person with an accent...he'd never made the connection that his Italian would sound different to different parts of the country, and he'd certainly never pinpointed exactly what part of the country had a different sounding accent.

He blushed, embarrassed that he'd been speaking oddly to the man. He stared down at his feet that were rubbing against the rocks, frowning slightly when he noticed he'd cut the bottom of one and it was bleeding all over the place. The other followed his gaze, and cursed under his breath. "Stay here, I'll call an ambulance to take you-"

"No!" Tala shouted without thinking, and he bit his lip when he did. The man frowned down at him.

"You nearly drowned and you have a gash in your foot, you need to go to the hospital."

"No...I can't..." Tears were forming in his eyes and he shook his head quickly. He didn't understand why but he'd never been this teary before, and yet now he cried almost everyday for no reason...Anna said once that it was because he had sixteen years worth of tears to cry that he was cashing in on, and he was inclined to believe her.

"Why not?" The man asked, clearly annoyed now. He wanted this to get over and done with, but Tala was continuing to drag things out.

"Anna...she likes it here...we'll have to move...we just finished getting all the stuff..." The man frowned.

"What does going to the hospital have to do with any of this?" he asked slowly as he looked at the boy closely. Blue eyes widened greatly. Then, without thinking he shoved out as hard as he could and pushed the man away from him. He jumped to his feet and dashed up the rest of the way to the top of the rock ledge until he got up onto the boardwalk. From there he was running as fast as he could.

He passed the theater that Anna had been talking about and from there he backtracked the rest of the way home. Throwing himself through the door he closed it just as he looked up and yelped in surprise at the sight of the brunette girl sitting on the couch near the door. She was sipping at a cop of something hot and she was wearing a robe around her. Her eyes glanced up at him, she'd been crying.

"I-" He didn't know what to say to her. He didn't know what it was he was going to say to her. He didn't know how to explain why he was soaking wet or how to explain why he wasn't wearing any shoes, why his phone was ruined and why he was bleeding all over the floor. He didn't know what to say at all. He just stared at her. "I-"

"Welcome home." She murmured softly. She glanced down at his foot and sighed, placing her cup on the stand. "I'll grab a first aid kit." He nodded numbly, and shifted his weight onto one foot, glancing down at the dirt and grime that had collected on them. She returned a few minutes later with a bucket of hot soapy water and some bandages and ordered him to put both feet in. He sat down and did as he was told, watching her quietly as she started to clean up the blood off the floor. She didn't ask him any question. She didn't pressure him into talking, she just nodded and moved on, accepting it for what it was.

Fat tears were filling his eyes as he thought about how he had almost destroyed everything by letting that man start asking questions about things that couldn't be given good answers. He clenched his fists and rested his head down on his knees. He almost didn't hear Anna's soft voice humming some sweet melody. At first it sounded like a lullaby, but as she continued there were words attatched to it, almost dream filled and flighty. He found himself oddly entranced as she sang it softly.

"There is a castle on a cloud....I like to go there in my sleep. Aren't any floors for me to sweep, not in my castle on a cloud..." She reached over and pulled one of his feet out of the bucket as he watched her. She gently started to pry any debris out of it before wrapping it with a bandage. "There is a room that's full of toys, there are a hundred boys and girls. Nobody shouts or talks too loud, not in my castle on a cloud."

Moving on to the next one she scrubbed it clean and he leaned back onto the wall as he listened to her sing. He was entranced by it. It wasn't amazingly professional, but it was better then he'd given her credit for earlier. He himself wasn't a master singer, and that's why he'd doubted the idea in the first place, but it was sweet to listen too...he wanted to keep hearing more. He wanted to hear the next verse just as much as he wanted to show her that he wasn't a complete mess.

"There is a lady all in white, holds me and sings a lullaby..." He looked at her white PJs and bit his lip slightly as she continued singing softly, wrapping his cut foot up before gingerly taking care of the mess. "She's nice to see and she's soft to touch, she says "my child, I love you very much."' He looked up at her dumbly and she smiled lightly, wrapping him in a towel she'd brought down and starting to dry his hair. "I know a place where no one's lost. I know a place where no one cries...crying at all is not allowed, not in my castle on a cloud."

Her hand cupped his cheek gingerly and she looked at him with such affection that he was drawn to it. He raised his hands and pulled her close to him quickly. She gasped slightly as she fell into his hold, hugging him back once she regained her balance.

"I wanted to swim." He told her quietly. She didn't say anything, one hand simply rested on the back of his neck, lightly playing with his dark red locks. "I didn't know how...and there was a tide..." She froze slightly and yet he held her to his chest all the tighter. "I started to drown when I couldn't get back...and then this man showed up out of no where and brought me back to shore..." She let out a breath of air lightly. "He wanted to take me to a hospital..." He trailed off, not sure what it was he was supposed to say anymore to make anything better. He leaned back and looked at her, hoping she'd understand. She did, because she finished up for him.

"So you freaked and ran back..." He nodded slowly, eyes filled with shame. "Hey...it's alright...we're going to be alright you know?" She asked gently as she slowly helped him up to his feet. He had broken so soundly from Boris' efforts and now he was so easily frightened and so easily worried. She led him back through the house, walking down the hall to the bedroom where she sat him on the bed. "Come on...get some rest...we'll go to the theater tomorrow and see if we can make it in."

"I don't want to go back Anna." He whispered, blue eyes looking up at her, water filling them. "Don't make them send me back." Her heart tugged painfully, and she nodded.

"I won't...you'll never have to go back again if you don't want to." She kissed the top of his head and turned to leave, but his hand caught her wrist. He was looking up at her with such frightened eyes and she nodded slightly, moving back to sit by his side.

And so they fell asleep. Him holding onto her for dear life, and her laying there, an anchor to the shore for all his fears. She stayed awake until dawn though, watching over her loved one, making sure to keep his nightmares away as she whispered sweet nothings into his ear until he quieted long enough for her to sleep at long last.

Dark were the dreams the haunted Tala's mind. Only a few moments after Anna had slipped away had he woken up fitfully. Looking at the girl's sleeping face, he bit his lip. He moved forwards and kissed her forehead lovingly for a brief moment before slipping away from her. He draped a blanket over her before quietly slinking away from the room and heading down to the kitchen. He made himself something to drink and then quietly climbed the ladder to the roof where he sat watching the dawn rising.

The people of Livorno were slowly waking and the townspeople were walking around. A few hours more and the bakers will have their sweet bread smells lifting through the town. Luka sipped at his coffee, enjoying the view far more then he would ever admit. Down below children were running around now, laughing as they thought of playing excitedly with their playmates.

A movement to the left caught his eye and he looked down the street, staring in dumb shock as the sight of the man from last night started to focus before him. The man was walking down the street, minding his own business. He didn't even notice he had an audience until the boy had stared for one moment too long. He finally looked up, and when he did, shock played across his features.

"Oi! Boy-" The teen was already dissapearing off the roof and sliding back through the window. He was gasping for air. Slamming the shutter closed behind him, he jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun about, his hand going to the throat of the intruder while his other hand slid into the kitchen sink for a knife. He shot forwards, prepared to stab the man and was only stopped when a frightened pair of dark eyes looked up at him.

Anna stared up at him, fear flooded her eyes and she gasped slightly as she tried to breathe. He dropped the knife – letting it clatter loudly to the floor. His hand slipped from her throat as he stared at her in horror. She coughed, one hand raising to her throat as she leaned forwards to breathe better.

"Oh God...oh God Anya..." He stumbled back. His eyes wide with horror. He could hardly believe what he'd just done. If he'd reacted just a little differently...if he had snapped her neck instead of going for the knife...she would be dead at his feet. He fell to the floor. His knees crashing down as he stared up at her.

"Luka?" She wheezed as she looked at him with frightened eyes. "Are you alright?" Tears started to well in his eyes. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had been only moments away from killing her. He had been only a second away from stabbing her. Yet she was still there, asking if he was alright. He shook his head, he wasn't okay. He couldn't possibly be okay. He couldn't be anywhere in the realm of okay.

She reached forwards to touch him, but he reeled back and and crab walked awkwardly away before turning and running back to the bathroom where he slammed and locked the door as fast as he possibly could. She watched him go worriedly, but before she could follow him there was a knock at the door. Frowning slightly she walked towards it and opened it.

"Ah, I'm sorry to bother you." There was an older man there, looking rather sheepish as he looked at her. She was still wearing her night clothes, and she clearly looked flustered. One hand was still unconsciously rubbing at her throat.

"No...it's fine...what can I do for you signore?" She asked him politetly, as she glanced back towards the bathroom where she knew there was a boy in such pain.

"Ah...last night there was a boy...and I could be wrong, but I thought I just saw him now...he was half drowned last night and I just wanted to see if he was alright...?" Her mouth dropped as she realized that this was her friend's savior. She took one glance back before motioning for him to step aside, and then she stepped outside to talk to him.

"Yes...he's fine. Thank you for what you did last night signore, it was...just thank you." She looked up at him meaningfully and he nodded.

"Yes of course...but he's alright? He had an injury-"

"I took care of it, thank you for our concern." She bit her lip, she didn't know what else to say to the man.

"No need, no need...anyone would have...I was just worried that's all." He waved her off sheepishly. "I am Damion Fratello, Signorina, and you?"

"Ah...Anna Trapasso." She told him lightly. His eyes showed recognition at the name...had Tala mentioned her the night before when he had been saved? "My...his name is Luca." As they were speaking in Italian, so the names were translated. Luka, with it's hard 'k' sound was now pronounced 'loo-cha'. The man nodded quickly enough.

"So, I guess you're the new residents to this house hmm? My brother-"

"Oh, you're Signore Alonso Fratello's brother?" She asked, recognizing the name from earlier that month.

"Yes Signorina...well I suppose I should go...you have school, si?" She bit her lip slightly.

"Ah...no. We don't..." She didn't quite know what to say. "We're going to a job..."

"Ah, he's so young though-"

"Yes, but well..." In all honesty she'd never considered enrolling the underage boy into school. Things like high-school seemed so trivial now. After everything that had happened, high-school was something that she really didn't think made a lot of sense. He knew more about life and the world around him then anything that high-school could give him. He was so masterful in so many things that she truly hadn't really given it much thought. "He's not..." She continued lamely. The man frowned heavily.

"Signorina Trapasso...are your parents here?" He asked her softly.

"Signor, I believe you've overstayed your welcome. Luca is fine, and it is really none of your concern how we're raised or are living." And with that she stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Her hands clicked the lock for good measure too. Tala was peering at her from the door of the bathroom. She smiled tightly at him.

"What'd he want?" He murmured softly.

"Signor Fratello wanted to see if you alright."

"Is that his name?" He asked, his voice a mere whisper.

"Yes." She sighed heavily as she leaned back on the door. Tala was looking at her strangely, and she forced a smile. "I'm alright."

"I hurt you."

"I'm alright." She repeated, her eyes glaring at him, trying to force him to realize that there was no harm done.

"I shouldn't go...I'm..." He licked his lips.

"You're what?" She prodded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"A mess." He replied softly. He hugged his arms and then he looked up at her fearfully.

He couldn't even have someone touch his shoulder from behind without him going to kill them. He couldn't look at her without thinking of blood. He couldn't go to the hospital for a cut foot. He couldn't carry a conversation with a stranger. He couldn't do anything properly. He stared at her with such terror in his eyes, and yet she stood there unflinchingly. She never once threatened to take away the love she so freely gave, and she never once let him fall deeper into the dark.

"You're not a mess Luka...you're scared." She murmured, speaking his name as she always had. "You're going to be alright...but you're not going to get better by staying inside and blocking out the world. You have a gift for the arts...and you're going to be fine in this. I won't let anything happen to you." She stepped forwards and took his hands in hers. "You're going to be alright." He just shrugged noncommitedly, looking away from her.

Knowing she wasn't going to get him to speak anymore about this. She brought in back to the bedroom and they started to go through the morning routine. They changed their clothes and brushed their teeth. Tala pulled his red hair back out of his face into a small ponytail. Anna tied herself a braid. She got him shoes from the closet, and gently helped him slide his injured feet into them. He let her, because in all honesty if she hadn't, he probably wouldn't have moved at all.

She took his hand and he followed her through the house. She made him breakfast and he nibbled at it briefly before sipping some more at a fresh cup of coffee that had been made. She stayed with him the whole while, a constant light in his muddled mind. He thought about so many things, and yet as his mind wandered she always brought him back, focusing him on the food he had to finish. So he ate his plate with her helping words, and when he was done he did his dishes.

Then the two were out. She held his hand and the two walked onto the street. He bit his lip, uncomfortable around the busy people of the day. Yet she held his hand tightly and he followed her as a beacon in the dark. They walked purposefully towards the theater, getting there in good enough time. Anna gave his hand a squeeze as she spoke to the receptionist who was looking at the two of them with annoyance.

Still the girl wasn't easily deterred, and eventually they got directions to the try-outs. They walked inside, taking in the sight of the thirty or so people who were all standing around in wait for the Director and Meistro. Anna glanced over to her boyfriend who was unbelievably tense. For the first time she had to wonder if this was a good idea, throwing him into the fire like this. He looked miserable and in all honesty he could blend into the background of the set he was so depressing.

"Signorina Trapasso?" Stunned more then anything else. The young woman could hardly believe it when she saw Fratello standing not to far away talking with some of the others. Tala went rigid at her side and started to murmur softly in Russian. He pulled at her hand. He wanted to leave. She kept him still though. They needed this job, it paid to well...a whole season on the stage. If they worked double time and helped with tech support they'd make more then enough to pay for their expenses – especially with Tala's ability to draw so fantastically.

"You know the lovely lady?" Someone asked as they turned and stared at the couple. Tala was chewing at his lip, and he pulled at her hand once more.

"Ah...not exactly, though I must say I'm surprised...I didn't expect to meet you here." He added as he turned to the two. He took note of the redhead who was doing his best not to meet the man's eyes. His gaze went down to the boy's feet where he was standing with little to no trouble at all. "You...shouldn't-"

"I'm fine." He muttered softly, shrugging off the man's worry. Yet the man stared at him in confusion, he didn't understand the words that had been spoken.

"_Luca." _Anna hissed looking at him tightly. He hadn't even known he'd spoken in Russian. He started slightly, looking back at her. He bit his lip before repeating the words in Italian.

"So who are they Damion?" The stranger asked. "You look after them?" He asked meaningfully. The man shook his head though.

"No, no, I just...ran into them." The door opened suddenly by the stage, and all eyes raised instantly to see who was there. A young woman in her thirties, an older man, and a teenage blonde girl walked in quietly.

"Adenline!" Tala gasped out when he saw the girl. Anna looked up at him in confusion for a brief moment before recognition flashed across her features. The blonde glanced towards them, and her eyes widened.

"Monsieur Luka et Anna?" She asked as she started towards them.

"Dame Adeline?" The woman asked as she looked at the young girl who was rushing down the hall. All thirty or so actors and actresses were staring at the scene in awe. They clearly seemed to have an idea of who the blonde girl was, but they had never seen her reacting in such a way. She rushed towards the two teens. Her eyes a mess of worry as she pulled the redhead into a tight hug before he could so much say a word. He froze, his eyes wide. He didn't dare try to hug her back, but she didn't seem to mind. Instead she pulled back slightly and cupped his pale face in her hands.

"Kai m'a appelé, il a tellement peur!" _Kai called me, he's so scared!_

"Je suis désolé." _I'm sorry. _He mumbled as he stared at the girl.

"Adeline what are you doing here?" Anna asked as she stepped forwards, the blonde looked back at her.

"What? This is my theater!" She exclaimed as she motioned around her. Anna closed her eyes. She could hardly believe the luck. They had run to Livorno to escape Boris and everything he had. They had thought they weren't going to be able to see anyone they knew until the end of Boris' reign, and yet here was this young girl that they'd only seen every once and a while.

She had been a confidante to Kai at a time where he had desperately needed someone outside of everything to talk too. Anna would have been that person to him except she had gotten involved. He had dove in head first and had been submerged in that life. So when he had met young Adeline at that ball all those years ago, she had become the person he went too when he just needed to talk. She listened quietly with an unflinching gaze and Kai loved her for it.

"What are you doing here?" She asked as she stared at them. "You need to call Kai-"

"Excuse me...Lady Adeline.." She looked up to see the Maestro standing there.

"Ah...my apologies Maestro...these are dear friends of Monsieur Hiwatari." She motioned to the two.

"Signore Hiwatari? Whatever are they doing here then?" the woman asked impatiently. Thirty two eyes stared towards them and Adeline looked at them as though they should be the ones to answer. Anna cleared her throat slightly.

"We're here for a job." She said softly, and Signore Fratello oddly enough was the one who spoke up.

"Well then lets get these auditions underway hmm?" He moved towards them, and patted Tala's shoulder. The teen was so rigid that he was practically a statue. The two girls stared up at the man as though to order him to release the boy who somehow had managed to get both his hands held by them.

"Of course...and since you have the floor already, would you care to be first Signore Fratello?" He nodded good naturedly and moved forwards, standing before them all.

While the audition was going on, all the people going up to show their vocal ranges and their line readings, Adeline pulled the two the the side and started to talk to them slowly. She told them about what she'd heard from Kai, what the situation in Russia was like, and his new placement in Japan. She went on to tell them about what was happening in general, and then paused slightly. It had only been a few weeks since the two had disappeared. Now that they were sitting there beside her, she didn't know quite to say.

"Luka...are you alright?" She asked gently as she looked at the normally so confident and happy-go-lucky teen. The redhead had hardly met her eyes the whole time. He just looked away and listened on silently. His mood seriously ruined. Anna looked at him with such sad eyes, but he didn't seem to notice or to care. He just stayed heartbreakingly silent.

"He's been like this for a while." Anna told the blonde softly. "He doesn't talk much anymore." She sighed heavily and ran a hand through her dark hair.

"Luka...please look at me. I haven't seen your pretty blues in so long." The blonde whispered softly. The boy flinched slightly, but did in fact look up for a few moments. "You never had a problem of staring me in the face and telling me how it was...what is wrong?" She looked so worried, and he couldn't understand why.

He'd only met her twice after the ball. She had been at the house during his bimonthly meetings both occasions. He had loved to tease Kai about it, and she was so sweet and polite that she could only blush as Kai knocked him on his head. It made no sense to him that she would be worried about him. Only logically was it slightly believable she was acting this way on Kai's behalf.

"Anna Trapasso?" The brunette teen looked up when her name was called and she nodded to the Meistro who was trying to conduct his audition. She whispered a quick goodbye before hurrying down to fulfill his requirements. Adeline was left behind to stay with the shattered shell of the brave and laughing boy that meant so much to one of her dear friends.

His hair was down now, no longer applied in the spikes he had worn for the favor of the Abbey. It was just passed his ears and he looked so young without that quality attached to him. He was far paler then she was used to seeing, and he was constantly worrying his bottom lip. He didn't look at all like the person she'd known. He was so different now.

"Can you really sing like this?" She mused out loud as her hand patted his. He shrugged. "Why are you even here if you barely speak?"

"Money...Anna says..."

"Anna doesn't control you. I agree with her, this could be good for you, but you need to start pulling yourself together Tala." He flinched at the nickname that had become a way of life over the years. "You need to start realizing that you can't bury your head in the sands of misery forever." She looked up to where their friend was doing some scales. "I've never heard you sing before."

"I'm not very good." He mumbled softly. She sighed and looked at him quietly.

"You're good at everything you do. It's those Hiwatari genetics."

"We're not-"

"You'll never convince me otherwise Luka." He looked down at his hands. He was trying to figure out what to say to this complicated girl who sat before him. He didn't know how to talk to her. Kai was blessed with the amazing gift of being able to talk to anyone without a problem. _He _on the other hand, had no idea how to talk to her. He had no clue what it was he needed to say. Anna was always there with that stone hard loyalty and passion. He could always count on her. Yet was so lost and confused with how to talk to Adeline who spoke to him as though she knew him. "Luka...I want to hear you sing...you have such a beautiful voice." He looked up at her in stunned silence. "So sing for me..." He vaguely heard his name be called, or at least his new name. Adeline nodded and he forced himself to his feet.

Anna was looking at him with bright eyes. She was hoping, hoping he'd be alright. He was moving slowly, dragging his feet. His hair was falling into his eyes. All eyes were pinned on him. He could almost tell exactly what they were thinking. None of them had much of a high opinion of him. They probably thought he was going to fail. He thought he was going to at least. Taking a deep breath he forced himself onto the stage where he stood next to Anna. She gave him a smile.

The Maestro coughed and he looked at him nervously. He didn't like this very much. He shifted awkwardly and the man started to ask him a few questions. He mumbled his answers, feeling awkward. He glanced at Adeline who was looking at him with such belief in her eyes. A piano started playing, and he was told to hit the note. So he did.

Another key, another match, and so it went. People stopped what they were doing, but he wasn't really paying attention. He forced himself to listen only to the key and listen only to the words of the Meistro. He needed to do this. He needed to. He hit each note as it came up. Anna was staring at him, her lips slightly parted.

Then he was handed a piece of sheet music and told to read what was there. So he did and he did everything else he was asked of. All the while he shifted awkwardly as though he didn't know what to do with his body. He wasn't sure where he was supposed to stand. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to be doing. He just followed his orders.

Orders were something he was good at. He could listen to orders all day. He had for his entire life. He'd always listened to Boris and Michaels and everyone else. He never just did what he wanted to do. It was another reason why he'd been so confused lately. He'd never just had time to do whatever it was he wanted to do.

There was total silence and he blinked, looking up. Everyone was staring at him, and he glanced at Anna who was smiling brightly at him. Not to far away Damion was watching on in shock. He frowned and looked away.

"Well...thank you signore." The Meistro said in dumb awe as he watched. "That's all for today...we'll call you at the end of the week. With the results."

Adeline caught up with them as they were walking away, her eyes shimmering with pride. Tala wasn't truly paying attention though, he held Anna's hand and followed her quietly, giving noncommittal answers when spoken too and hardly focusing on the world around him. They left quietly enough, and in their wake the director called over Damion Fratello. The man went to the woman and raised an eyebrow as she frowned heavily at him.

"What do you think of that boy?" She asked as she motioned back towards where the boy was once standing. He sighed.

"He has quite the voice." He replied neutrally. She wasn't asking his opinion on his singing, but he wasn't sure he should say much more.

"He does." She agreed. "He'd be a perfect Marius...though a bit young." He blinked in surprise.

"Marius? I suppose so. He would fit the bill...but his age-"

"Yes, yes, but he has a very..._endearing _quality." He frowned.

"Signora, that boy is clinically depressed." He told her. It was more then obvious. Something traumatic had struck that child's life, and he was suffering heavily from it. He wouldn't have this woman say that it was an endearing quality- it wasn't. It was saddening. She raised her brows.

"Go on." Damion glared at her.

"I couldn't even begin to tell you what's wrong with that child. There's probably a plethora of things wrong with him, but none of that is endearing or anything else you want to give a cute name to. That child...he's scared of something."

"Of what?"

"Who knows? You really going to give those kids the job?"

"Yes...I think I will."


	3. Night of Anguish

**Windstar: **I have to admit, I have never updated so many things in such a short amount of time. I didn't even realize there _was _a limit to how many files could be updated at once. I didn't know that you could only have fifteen things in your document manager. Boy was I surprised when I realized that!

Something that you've probably realized by now is that this story is riddled with OCs. I'm being serious now, so PAY ATTENTION. There will be only...two actual cannon characters that make an appearance before the last chapter. Tala and Kai. Everyone is mentioned, yes. There are flashbacks, yes - but there isn't any real story with them.

THIS STORY IS PREDOMINATELY AN ORIGINAL CHARACTER STORY. I haven't had any complains lately, but I was re-reading it yesterday and was like "wow...I really have a small cast from the show." I'm sure you've realized that as well. I want you all to know that while it wasn't entirely unintentional, it wasn't exactly my goal. If you're annoyed with my characters, specifically Damion Fratello who is going to be the largest of the OCs in Livorno, and Adeline who I've made a more important character in this story so that people from OTT will finally understand who she is and what she's all about it; then all I have to say is that it's only going to get worse. Both of them will be mentioned _a lot. _They're key characters.

Adeline is specifically important because she's not really mentioned in OTT. Her introduction is in this story, this chapter in fact! Her actual meeting of the russians is this story. She's not...a _main _character in Lies and Deceit...but she's...important. It's a good thing to know who she is.

Damion _is _mentioned in LAD. He is _not _a key character and so far has only made one real appearance and that's more of a flashback anyway. All the other OCs can be ignored. They're not going to be talked about much. They're just kind of...there.

Again, the Bubble Theory. Tala isn't living in a bubble. He interacts with people outside of the canon characters and he has a life that isn't documented by the show. So he's allowed to meet people that aren't in the show.

I'm assuming by this point people have accepted Anna. She's not going anywhere anytime soon. Sorry if you don't like her, she's here to stay. She's extremely important in both OTT and LAD and she's not going anywhere. So if you don't like her...then I can't really see while you'd want to read this fic. She's in ever chapter...almost every paragraph....you kind of have to deal with her.

I want to thank all my reviewers. I know that the switch from OTT to this is a little odd, it's written differently, but as one person pointed out - it's not told by video tapes anymore. We actually can see the thought processes and flashbacks that normal people have in real life. I know, crazy right?

As a forewarning, there are going to be _a lot _of songs in this story. I've already started off with a couple, but from here on out it's going to be peppering you. If you don't like the songs, don't read them. They just get alluded too...every paragraph after while the song is around.

Thanks again, and I hope you like it, next update is on monday.

**Chapter Three:  
**

Damion Fratello showed up at their door step th next morning, looking determined and with a goal in mind. When Anna opened the door, he wasn't all that surprised, Luka didn't seem to be the type to truly want to do something like that. He smiled briefly at her, and caught her guarded expression which was slightly more wary then it had been the last time. He wasn't truly making a good impression of himself.

"How do you do Signorina?" He asked politely. She was dressed for the day, and since the results wouldn't be posted for a while yet, he had taken a guess that they would be here.

"Fine thank you." She replied with a dark edge in her voice. "Now...what are you doing here?" There was a rustle in the background and he glanced passed her shoulder to see Luka quickly vanishing inside a door at the end of the hall.

"I was actually wondering if your...brother...wants to learn how to swim." She blinked up at him in surprise, not quite sure what to say. She looked back towards the closed door, and then back up at the man.

"I really don't think so...perhaps later..." She mumbled. It was a great idea. Having the poor boy learning how to coexist with someone besides herself on something. Damion really could do some good here. If Luka could open up to the man, then he could start being able to talk to others as well...maybe even start smiling again.

When they'd gotten home last night, everything had been a mess. The boy flew to the bathroom and vomited what little he'd actually eaten that day. He was gasping for breath, thrust into the world of hyperventilation and terror as a full force panic attack gripped him. He was shaking violently as he cried harder and harder, and she didn't know what to do. She simply stayed by his side, hugging him and whispering assurances into his ear. The boy had been overtaxed greatly in the theater.

Adeline had stayed quietly in the wings, cooking dinner for the two, all the while a look of true worry on her face. She had never been close to the two. In fact, she'd only met Tala a few times. Anna she'd seen more often if only because she had been around more often. Tala's visits home were only occasional and she hadn't really been able to interact much with him.

They'd all met at her coming out party several years before. Kai had been chosen as her escort to the ball, and through the night had charmed her and had been such a true gentleman to her. He was so polite and caring that she had found herself truly enjoying his company. Throughout the course of the night he had introduced her to his brothers; Luka, Bryan, Ian, and Spencer. The boys had all been invited because of a business deal her father had made and the man had thought it would be a perfect opportunity to have them all meet.

Kai was most likely a suitor her father had picked out for her. He was an heir to a business empire much like she was, and because of it, he was a perfect pick for her hand. At first, when she had heard that the heir to Hiwatari Enterprises was going to be her escort, she was mad and determined not to like the boy. Yet when they'd met for various dance lessons and how to behave during the performance, he had been nothing like the overly flirtatious boys who wanted to talk only about themselves in order to impress her.

He was quiet, and kept mostly to himself. Even while they danced at first they had no real conversation, and she found herself getting annoyed. She couldn't understand if it was a plan or not, but whatever it was he was doing, she wanted to at least get some respect from him. Eventually her annoyance faded into indifference – if he didn't want to talk to her then she wouldn't talk to him. So for the many meetings they'd shared before the ball, they'd been completely silent towards one another.

It had been on one such day that she had finally felt herself loose her temper. She rarely ever did, and yet he had managed to push all her buttons. A young girl, who later she would find out was Anna, had arrived to walk back home with him. She felt herself become over run with jealousy, convinced the girl was his lover, and that this was all just a game to him. An escort was supposed to be a prospective match for her in the future, and here he was flaunting this other girl right before her.

She didn't know when she'd started to believe in the ideas of pre-arranged marriages, but somehow she'd truly thought that this was something that would end up working for the best. It had been one of the reasons she'd been so infuriated by his indifference. He wasn't even treating her like a person, he was treating her like a thing, and it bugged her.

She watched the two leave together, him offering a smile he'd never shown her. The _girl _was laughing about something, and telling him about it in Russian. Which was another thing that had bothered her. He was supposedly poly-lingual, and yet she'd never once heard him talk in any language except her own. It was obvious he knew Russian, her father had said it was his original language, and they were hosting the ball in Moskva. Yet he never once had said a word in Russian, always in French. She wanted to hear him speak his own language, and yet that too he denied her.

She left shortly after them, her heart breaking in her chest as she realized that she truly did want to get to know this boy who wanted nothing to do with her. She really did want to have him be her escort to the ball. Yet he was so silent and so aloof that she knew she'd never be able to catch his glance. He would be an escort, but not the kind of escort she was imagining, not at all.

She wasn't paying attention to her heels as she walked down the stairs, or much of anything else for that matter, and when her ankle twisted all she could do was gasp as she fell down them. She was expecting to crash painfully into the floor, but instead found herself landing quite gently into someone's hold. Blinking up in confusion, she could only stare in awe at Kai who was standing before her. He'd caught her before she could get hurt.

Just behind him, Anna was standing passively, watching the scene with semi interest. She didn't look bothered in the least by the fact he'd caught her, and in all honesty it just made the blonde more agitated. She pulled herself from his hold and thanked him quietly before brushing passed him towards the door. He snatched up her wrist though, and she turned, stunned at the action.

"Are you alright?" He asked in soft French, his voice gentle and caring despite how he had always previously acted.

"I'm quite well thank you." She replied politely, turning to walk away once more. She just so happened to step too forcefully on her ankle that had twisted and let out a brief hiss. The next thing she knew she was swept off her feet and placed daintily on his lap where he sat on the stairs. She stared up at him with her face blushing brightly. "What-?"

"I didn't think you wanted to get your dress dirty by sitting on the floor." He told her seriously, there was no hint of sarcasm at all. He truly had meant it, and that alone made her blush harder. She looked up at the brunette who was leaning against the wall nearby without a care in the world. She didn't seem too interested in the fact that her supposed boyfriend was holding her in his lap. His fingers ghosted on her ankle, looking at it intently. He touched it lightly, and she gasped, surprised to find that it truly did hurt.

"Sorry." He told her quietly before twisting it. She hissed, tears forming in her eyes, and he looked up at her. His mouth dropped slightly, as though he couldn't believe she was crying. She felt a flash of hot anger course through her veins, but it vanished instantly as he wiped one of her tears off her cheeks. "I'm sorry." He told her again, and she nodded. "You sprained it." He told her, his voice still calm as he slipped his arms under her legs and picked her up bridal style. She gasped at the indecency of the hold, staring up at him in dumb awe. The other girl moved from her position at the wall, and murmured something that she was actually surprised to understand. The girl was speaking in heavily accented strange Italian/French mix. It was nowhere near as smooth as Kai's voice was, but it was an attempt on her part and she thanked her inwardly for it.

"Do you want me to call a ride for her?" She asked softly, but he was shaking his head.

"If it pleases you my Lady, I could take care of your ankle without going to the hospital, if you would prefer?" She blinked at the overly polite tone, and suddenly it became clear to her that it wasn't that he hadn't wanted to speak to her before, he just hadn't known how. She had been an enigma to him, and since she had offered no words to him, he'd done the same back. He'd assumed that's most likely what she'd prefer. He was just as awkward about the situation that she was.

"Please...call me Adeline." She'd never heard him speak her name before. He actually turned a bit pink at that, but nodded anyway.

"Adeline...would you prefer to go to the hospital, or have me take care of it?" He asked in a low mumble. He was actually _shy_! She found herself wanting to see more of this boy she had never known before, and so she requested his assistance. He nodded briefly, not all that surprised. "Anya, you think Michaels will be mad if I bring her there? Or should I bring her home?"

"I'm sure he will be." She replied back with a shrug, and Adeline's heart soared at the thought of seeing his home.

"Great, then that's where we're going." Then it crashed down as he clearly hadn't noticed how happy the second idea had made her. She sighed though, breathing in his scent...oddly of cinnamon and chocolate. She leaned her head to his chest and he carefully lifted her off his lap and into the air, and then they were walking.

They walked all the way to the car that was waiting for them, and they slipped inside easily enough. Anna had gone over to talk to her driver who had seen her in such a state and had started to protest. Yet she'd explained the situation and said they'd deliver her back to her hotel room as soon as they were able. The man nodded and wished them well before leaving, and then they were in their own car, heading down the road.

The trip wasn't all that long, and all the while Kai had let her sit in his lap, his arms around her as he looked out the window in silence. Anna was sitting not to far away, watching the world go by without so much as a peep. Then suddenly she seemed to remember something and turned to look at Kai.

"The boys are going to be there today." She reminded him lightly. He looked over to her with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Oh right." He leaned forwards and rested his chin on her shoulder. "You wouldn't mind meeting a few friends of mine would you?" She jumped, surprised slightly by his sudden behavior, but she just shook her head.

"I'm sure it will be fine." She told him softly. Anna giggled in the corner and she felt herself blush. She felt like the girl was making fun of her, and she didn't like it.

"You'll regret that." She explained simply as she shook her head.

"Whatever for?" She asked in return, as she stared at the brunette that still continued to allude her understanding. Kai's chest rumbled and it looked like he too was laughing. She felt like she was the center of a joke, but the car stopped before she could understand why. The driver came around and opened the door for them, and Kai easily carried the girl out of the car and up the stairs to whatever building they were entering.

They hadn't made it one step into the doorway before someone was shouting Anna's and Kai's name and running towards them. He turned and looked at the redhead that had such a smile on his face. He shot by though, passed Kai and scooped up Anna into a hug before spinning her around in a circle. The brunette laughed, returning the hug too.

Adeline could only stare in awe. She had been wrong. Kai hadn't been flaunting his _relationship _with this girl, he'd been flaunting a friendship. Anna hadn't cared about how closely he'd been holding her because she truly didn't care. She and this stranger redhead were clearly involved already. It made her smile slightly to think that it meant Kai was still available.

The redhead twirled around after setting the brunette back on his feet. He had been rambling to the girl in Russian before, but when he spun about to see the blonde in Kai's hand he too started to speak in perfect French for her benefit. She blinked at the transition, trying to understand who this person was and how he knew about her origins, but he was already introducing himself and she didn't have time to ask.

"My name is Luka 'Tala' Ivanov, it's a pleasure to meet my future sister-in-law. Please take good care of him-" Her mouth dropped and her face blushed furiously, and before she knew it he had given her a kiss on the cheek. Anna was laughing hysterically in the background, and some of the other people in the building (she still didn't know where she was!) were turning to watch the scene.

"S-s-sister-in-law?" She stuttered in dumb shock.

"I'm Kai's big brother." He replied with a great grin. At that she turned to look at Kai who was glowering at the redhead with a look of pure hatred on his face. The two looked nothing alike! "Adopted of course, I mean, he clearly didn't get my good looks-"

"Luka, you keep it up and I'll-" he switched to Russian so quickly she didn't know what he'd said. The redhead just kept smiling, and she found herself realizing why Anna had told her she'd regret it. This meeting was just downright bizarre! Yet she was happy for it, she'd finally heard him speak his native tongue. It also made her smile, to think that whatever he had said he didn't find appropriate for her to know.

Someone else was yelling out in their native tongue, and she turned her head to see three more boys heading towards them. They were all talking animatedly and laughing about something. Even though she didn't understand what they were saying, she could all see just how much they all meant to each other. Tala was excitedly waving towards her and, in French, boasting about how she was his future sister-in-law, and she found herself drawn to the natural happiness that seemed to come out of the teen.

It would only be much later, after the ball, when Kai would tell her that they were in the ISA Russian headquarters, and that their lives were far from happy. That most of the time, it was an act to keep people from falling into a deep worrying depression. He told her honestly that he was probably the best off from them all because he himself could hardly remember one moment he spent in that Abbey, while they were trapped in there roles and unable to escape them.

Now, two years later, Adeline found herself truly upset at the thought that Luka 'Tala' Ivanov's soul had been ripped from his body and all that was left was this terrified child that was nothing like the happy boy she'd always seen in the past. He was jumpy and frightened and he was scared of the world around him. He made her cry that night. As she listened to his gasping breaths of air as he choked on vomit and tears, she cried deeply and painfully for that boy who had never thought of her as anything less or more then a sister-in-law and the key to his brother's heart.

She hadn't known how it had happened. After the Ball she'd thought she'd never see them again, and yet she ran into Kai one day in Paris at a bookstore of all places. They'd made a day of it...and then a few months later he had shown up in a park that she was at. Every few months he'd appear out of the blue, and they'd talk and laugh and speak to each other about anything. She found herself growing deeper and deeper attached to the quiet boy who had been so awkward about speaking with her those first few times they met.

After that day she'd sprained her ankle, they'd always been able to speak to each other. He rarely showed her any side of him that wasn't pleasant and kind, and yet once and a while he would simply hold her to him and tears would fall down his face as he told her how scared he was for his brothers who were dying each and every day they spent in that Abbey. She held him close and tried to tell him things were going to get better, but they never came true.

Adeline left Anna and Tala's house that night and walked through the streets of Livorno. Tears trickled down her cheeks and she tried to erase the image of the terrified boy who she had tried to get to sing for her, and replace it with the happy boy on the day they'd first met. Yet she knew now, that he wasn't happy then. He had never been happy. Tala had always just been good at hiding his emotions and making them into something that they weren't.

She felt her heart breaking for that dear boy she'd become acquaintances, and what she hoped would be friends. Thoughts of her and Kai ever getting married never truly crossed her mind. For her, she had a love for him that was surprising considering their stations. She knew that she would be expected to get married soon. At nearly nineteen years of age, she was growing closer and closer to a time when those around her would be talking about engagements. She also knew that if it was anyone except for Kai she wouldn't be able to truly love her husband. Kai had managed to steal a valuable part of her soul and while she knew she_ could _marry someone else, and that she _was _capable of loving that person...Kai would always be more loved and more cherished in her heart. Even so...to her, despite marrying another if that was indeed her future, to her, Luka would always be her very precious brother-in-law who she cared for despite only meeting him occasionally.

She slipped into the night, stepping into her home at the wee hours of the morning, and without even considering the time, she took her phone in her hand and she dialed Kai's number. The phone rang four times, and she thought he wouldn't answer, until a weary voice finally picked up.

"Adeline?" He asked softly. He always knew who it was, and she smiled at nothing as she heard his voice.

"Oui Kai." She answered as she leaned against the wall.

"What's wrong?" He asked, it sounded like he was sitting up. She truly had woken him from his sleep and she felt slightly bad about it for a brief moment.

"I...I ran into Luka and Anna." She told him as tears pooled in her eyes. Images of the shattered look on the boy's face and the exhaustion that was playing on Anna's body were almost too much for her. Anna was at the end of her rope, she needed rest, and yet she kept dragging her feet, hoping to help Tala as much as she could before she finally dropped.

"You found them?" He asked, suddenly alert. His voice was sharp and it seemed she had done right by calling him. She could remember all too well the intense worry in his heart when he'd told her of their leaving. He'd said he'd needed to appear indifferent about it to the others because they needed to believe that everything was going to be alright, but in truth he too was terrified for the two who had vanished into thin air.

"Yes...they're in my mother's favorite town." She knew better then to tell him over the phone where their location was. If anyone was listening then the two would be in great danger.

"They are?" He asked in awe. He understood what she was talking about, she'd told him enough about the town in the first place.

"Yes...oh Kai..." Tears started to form in her eyes as she sat on her bed. Her knees pulled up to her chest as she imagined the fear and pain on that once so happy boy's broken face. "He's so...lost." She cried, her shoulders shaking as she thought about the boy that could hardly speak anymore.

"What's wrong?" And so she told him everything, editing things just to make it more difficult for any listeners to find him, but keeping the plot basically the same, and as she spoke he listened. He listened to her and he grew quieter and quieter.

They talked until the day had truly started. For hours they talked about what was happening and what was going to happen, and even as Damion Fratello walked up to the door of the wayward couple's home, they were still talking. Tala was truly in no position to be able to even think about swimming let alone being away from everything he knew to stay with a perfect stranger. The boy was in no position at all. He was far to scared and far to traumatized to be able to handle anything like that.

"Ah, I understand." The man answered Anna as she told him no. Not now, not for a while yet. He needed to be able to start breathing on his own before he was thrown into the ocean and expected to swim. The man turned around after saying his goodbyes, promised he'd be back and that the offer would still stand, and then vanished down the street.

All the while, Luka sat curled up into a ball on the bed, his eyes still damp from crying, and his body shaking and pale. He was weak and he was scared and he didn't know what he was supposed to do anymore. He was lost in world that he didn't understand, and it was terrifying him more and more. His body was acting on instinct. Ever since he'd nearly killed Anna, he'd been struggling harder and harder to not react when people touched him. Yet when Adeline gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek the night before when she'd taken her leave, he'd wrenched from her grasp with wide eyes and a pounding heart. He hadn't told her, or even Anna, that in his sleeve he'd had his blade and he'd been moments away from slashing her throat with it.

He'd been in such a daze that he hadn't noticed she'd come up to him. Her arms around him and the kiss on his cheek served only as a reminder to that dark memory when a woman he didn't know had done the same thing. His mind had been so lost and confused back then, he didn't understand why. Now, he knew he'd been drugged and that was why he couldn't move or speak. Yet back then he'd been so scared, the fear still shining through even now.

That woman had wrapped her arms around him, had told him she was going to take him away and that he was going to disappear forever. She'd told him that she loved him and that was why she was going to end his life. His life which was already so broken and scary was going to be ended by this woman who he didn't even know.

To add to his confusion, it had been Boris of all people who had saved his life that day. It had been Boris who had forced him to purge to get the drug out of his stomach. It had been Boris who had ordered the medics to clean his blood and make him so he wasn't in danger anymore.

The next time he'd seen the man though, and every time after that, he had been scolded and yelled at. He had been treated horribly. He had been struck. He'd been put on the three. He had been treated as though he were the scum of the earth. Tala never understood it, how could he understand it? He was so young, and even now the confusion had pulled through his heart. A waking nightmare that occurred whenever he felt someone drawing close.

Anna had experienced it the first time. The first time she'd kissed his cheek in that hospital all that time ago...he'd flipped out. He'd gasped for air and he'd been thrown into the feelings of intense fear and he was so terrified that he didn't understand what was happening. He cried and cried and cried, but he could never understand it.

Then Adeline had done the same thing. She hadn't meant any harm by it, she had meant to be comforting and loving...yet she had thrown him back into that memory. She had materialized as that woman who had touched him and tried to end his life. It had been only the sound of her sweet voice calling his name in fear that had saved her life from the blade that he was so prepared to use on her.

He knew he was running. He knew that coming to Italy meant that he was running away. That he was leaving all his loved ones behind, but he couldn't help it. He honestly couldn't help it. He needed to escape. He needed to leave. The memories were choking him. They were overcoming him.

He was suffocating in the dark. He let out a cry, and Anna turned around as she heard it. She called out his name, running down the hall and throwing open the door as the teen writhed on the bed, screaming as his head shouted out painful memories in his mind. She called out his name again, running to the bed and pulling him to her chest.

He twisted away, growled low in his throat and punched out. She yelped as a blinding pain stabbed her in the eye. Her body flew backwards, and he lay motionless as she landed on the bed. One hand rose to cover her eye as she stared up at him. He was crying. He stared at her face and he couldn't help but cry.

He turned and ran out of the room, running down the hall and out the front door, he disappeared into the night. She sat on the bed, her head ringing with a headache as she watched him vanish. Tears slipped down her cheeks as she pulled herself to the bathroom. She splashed water on her face before going to the kitchen and opening the freezer for some ice.

He would be gone for a while, she knew that. Just like he was before, he would be gone now. He'd come back though, and she'd be waiting for him. Still until then..._damn did her eye hurt!_ Even though she knew that he most likely hadn't hit her as hard as he could have, it had been more of a flail then a real punch, she still knew that it would bruise and he'd be haunted by that memory too.

Sighing she placed the ice on her face and tried to think of a time when he wasn't so lost and confused. As she thought she moved to the second bedroom. There were piles of paperwork she'd printed out not too long ago and now she was sitting down to get to work. Despite their escape from Russia, she still had a job to do.

Loading up her computer she started to run through all the secure channels and all the protection programs. No one, not even her father, would be able to track her location based off of her IP address or anything like that. She logged on, and pulled up a chat box. It didn't take long for her to notice Korg's availability and almost instantly she got down to work.

First thing first: they needed to understand how the machine worked with Tala's mind, and they needed to understand the chip that was placed there in the first place. They had to get that together before they could even contemplate building the server.

Tala on the other hand, found himself at the water again. He drew his knees up to his chest, and he cried bitterly into them. All he could think about was how once again he'd lashed out and struck at someone he cared about. He couldn't take this anymore. He couldn't take the guilt or the pain or the fear. He couldn't take it at all.

He just wanted it all to end. He wanted to forget. He wanted to forget everything. Forgetting would be easier. It would be so much easier. It would make him feel so much better. He thought about ways to forget, anything and everything, and yet in the end, he knew that he wouldn't be able to. The only way he could forget was if he really did end it.

Then wouldn't that make everyone else so sad? Yet what was it that Anna had told him...? He needed to start thinking selfishly now...he needed to think of himself first and others second. If he was gone, would anyone really miss him? Would anyone really care? He knew that Kai would. He knew it would break Kai's heart, but he _needed to think selfishly_. It didn't matter. He couldn't take it anymore.

"I thought you couldn't make it." He turned and looked up at Damion who was staring at him curiously. He was wearing swimming trunks and he looked oddly concerned, as though he was wondering what had happened. Tala didn't want to think about that though. He didn't want to try to figure out what it was he had to say to make this man go. He just wanted to be alone.

He wanted to be alone. He needed to be alone. Why couldn't people just leave him alone? Everyone was always touching him, grabbing him, trying to talk to him. He wanted space. He wanted distance. He wanted to be ALONE.

"Go away." He hissed as his hands gripped his hair ever harder. He wanted this man to back off. He wanted him to leave. He wanted it to happen _now_.

"Are you alright?" He was walking closer. Tala could practically feel the blood pulsing through his veins. He could practically feel the adrenaline kicking in as his body shifted slightly. It was all on instinct. His body wanted space. He wanted to be alone, and so it was getting ready to make sure that it happened.

"Go away." He warned one final time. He glared up at the man. The man stared back, passive and unafraid. The man wasn't leaving. He was going to stay right here. He was going to stay right here and he was going to find out if he was alright.

"Your sister seems very worried about you." He commented lightly, as he sat down on a rock near bye. Luka glared.

"She's not my sister." He hissed as he struggled to keep his body from lunging at the man and ripping his throat out. The man seemed slightly surprised.

"I'm sorry, your last names...and she didn't deny it when I called you her brother." Fratello smiled lightly at him, but the boy didn't want anything to do with him. He was furious. He was livid. He wanted to be alone and here this man was, not leaving him alone! And this was his spot damn it. He was there first!

"She's not my God-damn sister." He repeated, his fists clenching tightly.

"Oh? Then who is she?"

"She's my-" What was Anna to him? He hesitated. It was so easy to say that she was his girlfriend in the past. He would shout it to the moon. Yet now...what was the alibi. Were they going with siblings? But that didn't make sense. She hugged him and kissed him and that wasn't what siblings did...was it? He'd never done that with Kai, then again both of them were boys and that was just wrong. He never saw his foster siblings doing that either.

His head ached. He gripped it tighter, and the man watched him with impassive concern. He didn't get any closer. He seemed to have noticed how the boy was positioning himself and had wisely decided to keep a little distance between them.

"Does your head hurt?" The boy shook his head, the lie clear, but his pride not letting him tell the truth. "Whatever happened to you?" The man asked softly as he stared at the child before him. He looked so completely broken and terrified, that he just didn't know how to talk to him at the moment. It was the first time he'd ever come across someone like Luka.

"Nothing!" He cried back, tears in his eyes. He wasn't very convincing, but that didn't seem to matter. He was crying again, and he felt so confused...

"Luca...where are your parents?" He asked softly, looking at the boy. The boy shook his head.

"Gone." He replied, coughing over his tears. "Anna...Anna..." His body was trembling and the man frowned and moved forwards. "_Don't touch me_!" He shouted, blue eyes snapping up, staring at him. He was pleading. The man didn't move.

"Why don't you want people to touch you?" He asked as he looked at the child. The boy was holding his arms now, holding them as though restraining them. He was so tense that the man could see his muscles rippling on his body.

"I...I'll hurt you..." He mumbled, tears falling from his eyes. "Just...please go away...please just leave me alone..."

_You've been running for to long! _

Kai's words echoed in his ears, but he didn't want to listen. He didn't want to pay attention. It hurt to much to stay. It hurt too much to look at the world like that. He just wanted to go to sleep and never wake up. He wanted all of this to be over.

"Luca...Anna...did you hurt Anna?" He nodded, her bruised face coming to his mind. The man cursed under his breath. "Is she alright?"

"I...I don't know."

"What did you do to her?" He asked as he got to his feet. The boy flinched and shook his head. One minute she was struggling to hold him down, the next she was holding her face and tears were forming in her eyes.

"I don't know..." He shook his head. The man turned and reached forwards unthinkingly.

"No don't!" He stopped and looked up. Adeline was standing there wearing a white halter top and skirt, she looked beautiful as always, but her eyes were locked on Luka's. The man frowned and looked between the two. "I called Anna...she told me what happened." She explained as she slowly started to climb down the rocks towards them. "She's fine by the way." She added when Tala looked at her - his eyes wide and scared. "She told me to tell you 'come back home.'"

"She's....really?" He sniffled, wiping a tear from his eye. She nodded and smiled at him for a brief moment before taking a step closer. Her foot slipped though, and for a moment she couldn't breathe as she saw herself falling, but then arms were around her. He'd caught her before Fratello had even had time to move. "Are you alright?" He mumbled softly as he looked at her. She smiled up at him, knowing how tense his body was and how hard this was for him to do, but also knowing that somewhere in the back of the boy's mind he was still the same person he was when they'd first met, and he was still cut from the same cloth as his brother.

"Oh Lu...you're going to be alright little brother." She murmured to him, hugging his neck. He was frozen in place but he let her. His hands shook the whole while, but he let her. "Now come on...let's get you home before anything else happens hmm?" She looked over to Damion, her eyes sharp and narrow, but he didn't move. "Can you make it back? I need to speak with Signore Fratello." The boy nodded and she let him go.

He stood and started to walk slowly away, his head down and shoulders shaking every once and a while. He was still a mess, but he was getting better. The man looked at the blonde girl accusingly. His eyes showed that he clearly wasn't happy with her or what she had done.

"Sending him back by himself? He's completely and totally out of it!"

"I'm aware of that. Which is why you can't be anywhere near him." She told him flatly. He glared.

"What is going on with that boy that you are trying so hard to hide?" He snapped.

"Nothing. Nothing at all. It's not about hiding anything. In fact, the only thing that's in hiding is them. Signore Fratello I have known you for five years now, and that is longer indeed then I have known those two, I know you are a good man. However, those two children...they have had a long and hard road, and that boy means more to me then you can possibly imagine.

"That child once smiled and laughed so brightly and so purely that the whole world sang when he grinned. He is a good boy...he's a sweet and honest boy, but his mind right now is trapped and if you continue doing things like you did today, you're going to end up in more pain then you can ever imagine.

"Luka told you to leave him alone, he told you not to touch him, and you did it anyway! If I hadn't stopped you, signore, you would be dead right now!" He stared at her in dumb shock. "That boy knows more ways to kill and cause pain then you could ever give him credit for. He's scared and he's traumatized and you touching him is the last thing he needs. In all honest I'm surprised he even caught me just then!"

"What happened to him?" He murmured as he looked back the way the boy had vanished towards. She sighed and shook her head.

"I can't tell you...but what I can say is this. That boy was given a choice long ago that he never should have been asked to made. He made the right choice, but it was a choice that ruined his life and the lives of everyone around him. It was still the right choice – but one cannot expect a child to be able to harbor the reprecussions of that choice for as long as he has. He's trying to get himself together because he lost himself completely. He lost anything he had left of himself and he can't find his way back. His friends and family are extremely worried about him, but he's running on instinct alone now. He would have instinctively broken your arm and thrown you, just like he instinctively struck out at Anna when she tried to touch him too."

"Anna's arm-"

"No, he would never do that to her." She eased the man's worries quickly enough. "He was trying to get away from her and he accidentally struck her face. She'll probably bruise, but she'll be fine. That boy...he's been raised in a world you can't understand. I don't even understand it most of the time, and his brother speaks to me often enough."

"His brother?" She nodded.

"His brother is...a very close friend of mine. It's how Luka and I met-"

"You call him Luka...why? Isn't it Luca?" She smiled prettily at him.

"He will always be _Luka _to me. You'll even hear Anna call him that when she makes a mistake. It's just what we call him."

"Where are his parents?" The man asked for the third time. He never had found out. She sighed and shook his head.

"For that child...it would be better if he never had parents to begin with." She looked at him. "He's not one of your..._kids_. Don't take him under your wing and try to fix him. He's broken enough as it is."

"I only wanted to help..."

"Well don't! Let him be!" She snapped angrily.

"I will not." She stared at him in awe, trying to figure out what to say to him. "That boy needs help, not people standing around and telling him it's going to be alright. What evers wrong with him needs to be fixed, not swept under the rug. He can't live the rest of his life striking out at people and expecting it to be alright."

"You have no idea....what type of person you're talking about..." She murmured. "He's not like your other triumphs...He's different."

"That doesn't matter. He's still a person, and he needs help - not condolences. If he has a brother, where is he? Why isn't he here?"

"Kai...Kai can't be with him right now." She sighed and closed his eyes. "I told you before, he's from a world you will never understand. Kai's apart of that world, and he won't be able to help him...he's already doing so much because he's gone..."

"He sounds like a bad brother to me." She moved without thinking. Her hand slapping him hard across the face. It was the first time she'd ever struck someone, and he couldn't believe it either.

"Don't you ever say that about that boy. You don't even know him!" And with that she climbed up the rocks and followed after the redhead, leaving behind a very confused man who still didn't understand what was going on.

**Windstar:**

Thank you again for reviewing. It is _this _chapter that kept the hold up on The Pulse for so long. The breif mention to Marina was way to obvious for me to think it was good to post it before hand. I hope you'll forgive me! Please review and I'll post again on monday.


	4. Who am I?

**Windstar: **I have to apologize for the length of this. It's a bit shorter then usual, only 10 pages. Still though, I thought you'd all like it despite how short it is.

**UPDATED**: When I didn't triple check it (a foolish error on my part) Dariel Kutsnetzova noticed that there was a huge block of paragraphs that were forced together. Apparently FF .net hates open office because this is the tenth time that's happened to me. It stopped after a short while but then it started up again. I'm terribly embarrassed that I didn't catch this simply because I was having a time constraing issue. I hope you all can forgive me! I fixed the problem and now it's back into a more reader-friendly format. Enjoy!

You'll finally find out what Les Miserables is if you don't know as well. I hope you all enjoy, and disclaimer is the same as always.

Thanks to all of my great reviewers, particularly Dariel Kutsnetzova who found the mistake in this. I hope you all can send her the best wishes any ff reader can send for her assistance!

**Chapter: Four**

When the casting came out, it wasn't much of a surprise for Damion to find that Luka had indeed been given the role of Marius. What was a surprise was that he had been given Jean Valjean, and Anna had been given Eponine. He had figured if anything the girl would get a chorus part, but the director seemed to know what she was doing.

The director was a woman named Giana Cioffi, and she was a woman to be rivaled with. She knew what she was doing, and for years she had been the master of this theater. She had apparently been friends with Adeline's mother which was why she first got the job, but she had always known what she was doing so no body complained. Well almost nobody.

"I am the one who's supposed to get the part of Marius!" Angelo, a mouthy twenty four year old who had been in the play house since he was nine, was shouting at the top of his lungs to anyone who would listen. Luca was looking down at his hands, trying hard not to move or do anything of the like. Anna was in front of him, watching the man as he stormed through the play house with a furious look on his face. The two had already signed the paperwork and now there was nothing the other could do.

Giana was staring at the man with a neutral expression on his face, though it was obvious she wasn't impressed by his display. He had just barged into the room screaming, and all the other actors and musicians were at a loss as to what they should do. They couldn't believe someone was acting up so much.

"You were given the roll of Marius." She told him easily enough. He glared at her.

"I'm an understudy!" He hissed, and she nodded.

"Yes, you're an understudy. I gave the lead role to the better fit." She stared at him. "If you don't want your part you can leave because I'm not going to have you screaming in my theater."

"Where the hell is your great star then hmm? Who'd you cast?!" Luka moved slightly, pressing his head against Anna's back. He was hiding on purpose, and even Damion could tell that he didn't want to get into a confrontation with the other. Anna held her ground, one hand sliding into his.

The bruise on her face was noticeable, but she just laughed it off whenever people asked if she was alright or what had happened. She honestly didn't seem to mind it too much, and he had to give her credit for sticking by him. At the same time, an abusive relationship wasn't something that was good for anyone...and if there were more bruises on her, he knew he would step in and make it stop.

"Luca Trapasso." The Director told him honestly. The hot head turned and stared at the redhead who was doing his best impression of the wall.

"Him?! That nobody drop out who's never even acted before." She frowned.

"Drop out?"

"He doesn't even go to school. Isn't that one of your requirements for people attending this theater? They either have a diploma, the equivalent of a diploma, or are in school?" He was smiling broadly, happy to find that the Director didn't know that about the new boy and that he could get his part at last. The woman turned and stared over towards them.

"Is that ture?" She asked calmly, looking at the pair closely. Anna groaned, her eyes closing for a moment. Truth was, she didn't have a diploma either, but she was over the legal age and she could easily manufacture one on her computer. As for Luka, he wasn't legally allowed to just ditch school yet and it would be suspicious if he had one. Still though, the idea of him being in school was laughable. He knew far to much to be in school...

"Signora, if I could speak with you in private?" Anna asked as she looked at the woman seriously. The woman nodded, and motioned to her to follow her. She glanced back and looked at the redhead. "I'll be right back okay?" He nodded, looking away from her, and she moved quickly across the floor, hurrying to talk to the Director.

Angelo was still there though, glaring at the redhead cruelly. He stormed forwards, and Damion hurried to stand in his way. The redhead hadn't done anything wrong. He didn't deserve whatever this pompus ass's rude comments were going to be. Not for the first, Damion cursed the fact that the boy's _guardian _was a girl who had no idea what was going on in the boy's head. Leaving him here was akin o feeding the boy to the wolves.

"Move out of the way Signore Fratello, me and the boy have to have a little talk." The young man hissed as he glanced over towards the sixteen year old child. The boy was looking down at his hands and he was playing with his sleeve. He looked four, not sixteen.

"I don't think so. You leave that boy alone. We've all known that if we didn't get the part we've wanted we moved on and we breathed fresh air in spite of it. You will not torment that child simply because you feel like it." The man told him sternly, keeping his position firm.

"Yeah, don't hurt the cutie, he's my partner!" A young woman who had apparently been cast as Cosette called as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Don't you get involved Filippa!" Angelo shouted as he glowered over his shoulder. She hrmphed and looked the other way. The redhead glanced up shyly at the scene, but upon seeing the aggressor's face thought better of it, he bit his lip and mumbled something quietly. "What was that, brainless?"

"I'm sorry..." The boy repeated slightly louder. "I need the money..." He muttered, and Fratello glanced back at the boy for a brief moment, taking in his dropped shoulders and his weak stance. He looked miserable.

"You need the money?! You need the money!? Why don't you just join tech then and get the money there?!"

"I did." He replied, his voice sounding slightly strong. There was a flash of something in his eyes. Life almost. It was almost as though a part of his subconscious had decided that enough was enough. He wasn't just going to stand there and get yelled at. Suddenly, Fratello had to hand it to the young lady, she did seem to know what she was doing. By putting the boy in such a situation, he was being forced to get out of his shell.

Everyone stared in dumb silence for a moment. He was in both, and that only meant one thing – he really did need the money. Angelo clenched his fists and stalked forwards, but Fratello was once more keeping him out of the way, so he resulted to just hissing insults at the boy.

"It doesn't matter...it doesn't matter at all. No highschool drop out gets the part you dumb fuck." The teen's eyes glanced up, and Fratello almost laughed when he saw the hint of rebellion in his eyes.

"Signore...I'm sorry you didn't get the part, but I'm not a high-school drop out, and I'm not an not dumb, clearly you are since you can't seem to string one sentence together without repeating yourself at least twice. So unless you have something of use to say, I'd suggest you back off before you make me mad." Fratello cracked a grin. If this was what he had been like before whatever had happened happened, then he was right to have been warned by Adeline. There was a power in this boy...he was just crumbling slightly and he needed to get his feet back on the ground.

"Of course you're a high-school drop out...you don't go to school anywhere, and you're sixteen!" The redhead was shaking his head though.

"I never went to school, I can't drop out if I never went to begin with." Silence. No one quite knew how to take that.

"H-how did you learn how to speak then? Read? Sing?" Someone asked as they stared at him, and suddenly the boy's bravery shattered in an instant as he looked away. Embarrassed and uncomfortable all of a sudden, the boy bit his lip. He rubbed his arm and Damion stared at it closely. He was wearing a T-shirt that day...and because of it long scars could be seen running up and down his arms. He hissed. Someone had put their hands on this child...

"I...I grew up..." He didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to describe the Abbey...he didn't know how to describe the classes. "I had...classes...I just...my parents..." He looked to the ground, and a door opened in the back of the hall. The Meistro was there and he wanted to get to work. He ordered everyone to line up and they would start off with some scales, and the attention was off the boy at long last as people started to get to work.

Anna still wasn't back, and so he stayed in the corner and hummed his notes when asked and just followed along quietly. He didn't really focus much on what was happening, when he was asked a question, he answered best he could, but in general he was silent and soft spoken. He didn't really want to get involved.

After an hour or so the Director came back in the room, and she ordered everyone to pay attention. Luca was declared to be fine schooling wise, and he was still going to keep the part. Anyone with a problem could leave. She wouldn't hear any other discussion about it. Damion smirked, he didn't know what the girl had to have said to the woman, but whatever it was must have convinced her.

Giana wasn't an easy person to break the rules with, let alone bend the rules, but if Anna had managed it, then God bless her. The girl walked to the red head's side and leaned in close to his ear. She whispered something in it, and try as he might, though Damion picked up on it a little, he couldn't understand it. Whatever she said wasn't in Italian.

The practice started up again, and people started breaking into groups. They were going to learn all the ensamble pieces first, and from there move on to the more challenging solo pieces. A schedule was made up that would accomodate such things.

After they'd sung for a little bit, the Meistro left to work with the musicians elsewhere and the Director had them all sit down and read the script out loud so everyone understood what the play was about. Jean Valjean was a convict who had been arrested for stealing a loaf of bread. After nineteen years in prison, five for what he did (the rest for trying to run), he was released. He broke his parole and the officer in charge, Javert, began to chase after him.

After changing his name he became the Mayor of a small town where a woman named Fantine lived. Fantine had a daughter with a man who left them soon after the girl (Cosette) was born. She struggled each day to pay an innkeeper and his wife for the child. The factory she worked for found out and she was fired for causing trouble among the workers. (Basically they were just being plane rude to her for no reason whatsoever). She becomes a prostitute to help pay for her daughter, and one night strikes a man who tries to get near her after she said no. Javert is the police officer who arrives and he decides to arrest her.

Valjean steps in and she is let go, but soon Javert finds out his identity. Fantine dies from TB and Valjean promises to care for her daughter. He escapes Javert and goes to find Cosette. Once he does he takes her from the Inn and raises her with love.

After that, a revolution starts in Paris. Years have passed since then and the inn keeper's daughter Eponine introduces her friend Marius to Cosette after he sees her and falls in love. Eponine is secretly in love with Marius, but doesn't say anything.

As the revolution starts to get more and more intense, Valjean fears that Javert has come at last to find him and he and Cosette leave Paris. Marius, thinking his life is worth nothing, goes to the barricade with Eponine who wants to die with him there. Javert is captured after trying to trick the revolutionists, and is tied up. Eponine is then killed.

Valjean appears at the barricade hoping to help and ends up saving Javert's life Later, Javert realizes that he was wrong about Valjean and commits suicide. Valjean saves Marius' life, but Marius finds out that Valjean was a thief and leaves.

Marius marries Cosette and Valjean slowly starts to die. Realizing that Valjean was the one who saved his life, Marius returns to apologize and thank him. Valjean accepts his apology and dies. His spirit goes on to be with Fantine in heaven.

"Miserable play." Tala muttered softly when they were done reading it. Anna smirked and nodded.

"It_ is _called Les Miserables." She reminded him, and he nodded in response.

They were done for the day and people were starting to pack up after taking their scripts and heading out. The tech crew was using the stage the next day, and so for now the runaways were done with their work and it was time to go home.

The rest of that night wasn't all that eventful. In fact, for the rest of the month things were calming down nicely. It had been three months since they'd left home. Tala wasn't getting all that much better, he still wandered around in a bit of a daze most nights, and was on the roof staring at the sky more often then not.

Oddly enough Damion Fratello was becoming more of a good aquaintence now then ever before. Since he was playing Jean Valjean, he and Tala needed to speak often while they were doing their parts. Fratello had seemed to decide somewhere along the way that he would protect the quiet teen from any harm, and was often around to keep Angelo from pestering the boy too much. For that, Tala thanked him – and often too. The man came by every once and a while for dinner after they were done with their tech work, and he stopped by with food occasionally just to give them a treat.

It was nice, and needed too. Despite both jobs the pair weren't all that well off, and it took almost all their money just to pay for their utilities and necesities. Anna didn't want to dip into their pay checks at the ISA too much because she didn't want a trail to be found, but whenever they had a rough month, she did it to make sure that things were going to run alright.

Luka was sitting out on the roof again one night when Anna came up to join him. She had her laptop with her and she was typing away in silence for a while before she bit her lip and asked him to do something for her. He blinked and stared at her, but nodded anyway.

"Put your hand on this and close your eyes." She said softly, and he nodded, doing as he was told without question. His hand rested on the computer and she typed a few more keys before pressing enter. He yelped slightly, eyes snapping open as words flashed across his mind and were sent through his brain.

It felt like...a tickle. And he stared at her in dumb shock. She bit her lip and looked back at him. She was concerned, especially when he started to itch his head. He couldn't get the look of surprise off his face. He felt completely and totally...well...shocked.

"What-?"

"I sent an email." She explained quickly. He blinked at her. His brain still...tickled! He couldn't explain it. He couldn't stop it either.

"I...my head..."

"Does it hurt?" She asked concerned, and he frowned.

"It...feels...funny..." He said as he rubbed at it some more. "It's...a tickle." He told her at long last. She couldn't help but laughing.

"Your brain's got a tickle?" She asked him seriously, and he nodded, rubbing at it some more. She couldn't help it, she was laughing louder now, tears coming to her eyes at the thought of that.

"Not funny." He told her as he tried to make it go away, but she couldn't help it. It was too comical. His brain had a tickle, he'd sent an email to someone using the chip Boris had implanted in his brain...and all the feedback he got was a tickle. A tickle in the brain. She was laughing harder now, tears streaming down his face.

"Maybe you should eat some ice cream...you think a brain freeze would help? Or would that just slow the process down?" She asked as she laughed harder.

"Who said I wanted to be your email delivery service anyway?" He hissed, and she stopped laughing instantly. His mood fluctuated often, but it was the first time he'd ever seemed truly angry at her. She shook her head.

"Did you read it?" She asked as she looked at him. He frowned and thought about the words. Even though he hadn't looked at the screen...he could remember what they'd said.

"_Dear F-Team, we know this letter is coming rather late, especially considering how we left, but we wanted to let you all know that everything is alright. While we can't tell you where we ended up, we wanted to tell you this: we're working on the BD Server and it's near completion. Korg will be meeting up with us soon to help us finish the blue prints and then he'll be back to build it. We're sorry for leaving so suddenly, and we wish we could have said goodbye more appropriately, please forgive us. These past few months have been rather hard on us too, and while we feel like we've abandoned you, we know it was important to do what we've done. We're going to come back someday, we don't know when, or how, but we will. Until then...please wait for us. We miss you terribly, and dont worry – we'll be okay. All the love in our hearts L&A."_

Hot anger poured through his veins as he turned and glared at her. She bit her lip as he glowered at her. He was honestly pissed off now. His very body was shaking with rage at the thought of what she'd just done and what she was saying. After three months, she'd sent this letter, and he didn't know that any of the things in that letter had taken place or were going to take place. He hadn't known anything.

"You're building the BD Server?" He hissed lowly, his voice like ice.

"Yes." She told him seriously. All humor had dissapeared from her face. For the first time in months, she wasn't dealing with Luka...she was dealing with Tala. The angry killer from the Abbey who had no qualms about beating things to death if he had half the mind.

"It's almost done?" He hissed again, and she nodded.

"The blue prints are, yes."

"And Korg's coming _here_?"

"No, I was going to meet up with him in Zurich in a few weeks." He was glaring at her in anger.

"What the fuck do you mean we're going back?"

"I will. When it's done. I'm going to go back to give them the files. You don't have to come."

"Fuck you." He hissed, and he turned and walked over to the ladder and climbed down it, entering his home and starting towards the door. Fratello walked in the front door at that moment though, holding a bowl of pasta in one hand and some bread in the other.

"Hello my boy, how are you?"

"Fuck you too, for all I care." The teen hissed as he stormed into the bedroom and slammed the door shut without a second glance. The old man blinked, not quite understanding. He didn't know if he should be happy or alarmed at the attitude change. The abrasive words had been so coldly sent towards him that it was a complete attitude change from the quite polite teen from earlier. Even in the past, whenever Angelo had reared his ugly head, Tala had responded politely and with a commanding tone of privalage – not the cold cut cruelty that he had resorted too now. He was pissed off, and it was the first time the man had seen him like that. He'd seen the two on the roof before he'd gotten into the house, but they were both climbing down the ladder before he could call out to them. Anna appeared, walking out of the kitchen with a troubled expression on her face, and she looked up at him in surprise when she saw him. She blinked, saw the pasta and started a flurry of apologies. "My dear girl, what are _you _apologizing for?" He asked as he looked up towards the room Luka had securely locked himself in.

"I got him mad...probably on purpose too." She added guiltily as she sighed lowly. The man smiled at her though.

"Well, even if he's not in a good mood, why let good pasta go to waste? He can reheat a plate later if he gets hungry hmm? Come, why don't you tell me about your fight." She smiled slightly, and sat down at the table, her hands fiddling with the laptop in her arms. He started to set some plates out for them, and even made her a cup of tea while she sat there deep in thought. It was one thing that both the teens had noticed. Fratello was someone who was easy to talk too and didn't have much of an opinion on whatever it was they said. So if there was a problem or issue, it was easy to talk to the man about it – and he seemed more then willing to help. He had taken a liking to them, and it was clear that he was there to assist them. A gift from God really – they needed all the help they could get, and Adeline couldn't be there all the time. She had duties in France that she needed to keep up as well.

"I told him I got in touch with some people back home...and that I was going to go back there in a few months." The man's eyes narrowed at the thought. From what he'd heard, that place, whatever it was, hadn't been kind to them. While neither teen were very talkative about where they came from, he couldn't imagine it being very pleasant, especially from the change that had gone through Luka that made everyone so edgy around the suddenly temper-mental boy.

"Why would he be mad about you talking to people back home?" He asked gently. It wasn't the first question that he wanted to ask, but it was the most neutral by far. She sighed and took a sip of her tea.

"He doesn't want to go back there...and from the letter I sent to them, I made it sound like he'd be there and that he was involved in writing the letter as well." Ah, there lies in the rub. The man took a bite of his pasta and let her keep talking. "He made me promise that he wouldn't have to go back, and yet I wrote that letter like that...I did it more to make them happy then anything else..." She mumbled. "I didn't think about how he'd take it until he was up there shouting at me."

"Shouting?" He'd never heard the boy raise his voice before. He'd only ever gotten that icy quality to his tone that made it known he didn't want to be messed with.

"Well...as close to shouting as that child could ever get. You know he turned sixteen today?" She asked randomly as she looked up at him. He blinked. "I thought he already was..."

"No, that was a lie...sixteen sounds so much older then fifteen...I thought his brothers would want to know he was alright...so I sent that letter."

"You signed his name on it didn't you?" The man asked knowingly. She nodded and sighed heavily.

"I couldn't help it. I know they're worried about him...Adeline tells me sometimes what Kai has to say about it...I stopped calling him after we moved so I haven't spoken to him either."

"You used to keep in touch?" The man asked as he raised an eyebrow. He hadn't realized that they were so close.

"I used to live with him!" She laughed and shook her head. "Before I was adopted, Kai and I lived together, we became best friends...well...best friends during the times that he wasn't with his brother that is. Then I was their laughing stock." She seemed to be thinking about a memory in particular and he let her keep talking. "When I first met Luka, he was coming out of their grandfather's house and I had been playing catch with Kai. Kai kept throwing the ball so hard that I couldn't catch it in time, and he'd thrown it straight at the door. Luka caught the ball and he introduced himself like a proper gentleman – but I knew he was in on the joke when he and his dipshit brother kept grinning at each other. Honestly those boys, when they're together-" She stopped short and blinked. She hadn't realized she'd been rambling and Fratello had just let it happen. She smiled weakly at him. "Sorry."

"Don't be. It sounds like you were close." He said as he took a nibble at some bread. She nodded. "We were...the best of friends...I stayed with Kai until I got adopted, but even then we still saw each other everyday."

"Why do you say that you stayed with Kai? Didn't you stay with Kai _and _Luka?" She froze. Her eyes stared at the wall off to the right, unsure of what to say. She shook her head though. "No. Luka didn't live with us." Her voice was quiet, and he could tell she wasn't going to go into more detail so he didn't press.

"Good bread?"

"The best." But it tasted like ashes in her mouth. She was thinking about the Abbey...and how her second meeting of Luka wasn't anywhere near as nice. That meeting...the boy had been nearly blinded and his body had been broken. It had been the start of this six year trek that was seemingly never going to end. The next day at the play house, the two runaways were still not talking to each other.

Fratello frowned when he saw that. Luka was wearing his glasses now. Even now the teen still wore contacts to that day. He hated them more then anything in the world but he wore them anyway. Occasionally, she would see him wearing his glasses because he couldn't stand the contacts a moment longer, but that was only every once and a while. He was putting off getting new ones though, because he couldn't go to a doctor, but they both knew that eventually the time would come. It seemed today was a glasses day though, and he sat in the corner sulking.

Fratello was called forwards to sing one of his solos and everyone was taking a break and drinking some water as he started singing_ Who am I? _Anna glanced at the boy and sighed, sitting next to him. He stubbornly looked away, and she moved slightly, leaning to whisper in his ear.

"Are you going to let me hold your hand or not?" She asked softly, and he didn't to anything for a moment. She sighed and looked away, clearly knowing that he wasn't ready to talk to her. Then all of a sudden she felt a hand on hers.

"I'm not mad at you." He muttered. She smiled, and squeezed his hand slightly, her eyes going up to stare at their friend.

_Who am I?  
Can I condemn this man to slavery  
Pretend I do not feel his agony  
This innocent who bears my face  
Who goes to judgement in my place_

Luka stared up at the man who was singing, his eyes wide as he listened. He'd never really listened to any of the songs before. He just went with them as he learned them and didn't concentrate on the lyrics. Yet now, now he was listening and he could hardly believe what he was hearing. _  
_

_Who am I?  
Can I conceal myself for evermore?_

He who had to pretend he was someone he wasn't. Make believe he was someone from Rome when really he was a boy raised in a child abusive Abbey in Russia. Even in Russia he'd had to pretend. He'd had to pretend to be working for Boris. He'd had to pretend to get information. He was constantly concealing himself from the truth of the outside world. _  
_

_Pretend I'm not the man I was before?  
And must my name until I die  
Be no more than an alibi?_

Luca. His name was now Luca. Not Luka...not Tala. Not anything he'd been called before. Luca Trapasso. His dearest father's last name which he had carried with him with love and joy in his heart, Ivanov, had been left by the wayside. He hated that he couldn't bring his name with him. The name his brother had called him. _  
_

_Must I lie?_

If he didn't lie he would be found...he'd be sent back to the Abbey. He would be forced back into that life of slavery once more.

_How can I ever face my fellow men?  
How can I ever face myself again?_

How could he? He wasn't even acting like himself these days. He was violent and short tempered one moment, and cowing and shy and awkward the next. Who the hell was he? He didn't talk to Anna like she deserved, he was _infuriated_ when she had talked to the others when he knew she had done it for him. He'd turned sixteen and she had sent them a letter in his name so that they would have a piece of him with them. _  
_

_My soul belongs to God, I know  
I made that bargain long ago  
He gave me hope when hope was gone  
He gave me strength to journey on...  
_

He closed his eyes. His life belonged to God. He had no control over it these days. He barely knew what he was doing half the time, and he was living in a daze most other times. He followed along like a dog on a leash, not really there, barely conscious. His life not his own. He felt his breath quicken as he stared at the man. _Who am I? _ Luka Tala Ivanov. Sixteen. Born in Moscow. Son of Aya and Nikoli Ivanov. Brother of Sacha Kai Ivanov Hiwatari, Bryan Kutznetsov, Ian Papov, Spencer Brevda, and even Mikhail Ivanov. He was the biological son of a mad man and a dead woman. He was the greatest beyblader this world had ever known, and he was on the run. He stood up, and he started to walk away.

"Luca? Luca?" Anna called out to him, standing up too, worry on her face. He glanced back at her, and tried to smile, but it didn't come out right.

"I'll be alright...I just need...to think." He told her softly, and with that he turned and he walked away.

_Who am I? _The words whispered in his head.

_I'm an alibi. _He whispered back. _And I'm scared. _


	5. Drink Wth Me

**Windstar: **I'm sooo sorry for not updating earlier. You have no idea how hard I've been working lately and it's driving me insane! (Not to mention that Kingdom Hearts 358/2 days came out...) I hope this chapter will make up for it though!

Disclaimer same as always!

**Chapter Four:**

That night Tala had stayed in the theater, promising Anna he'd be home in a few hours but needing to be by himself for a while. He stayed behind, painting some of the set that needed to be painted. His mind on anything but what he was doing. He liked the project, yes, but it wasn't really what he'd been doing it for.

It was the monotony of painting. Paint this black. Got it. Done. Move on. Paint this green. Got it. Green. No need to think. There was no thought process. One two by four was black, another was brown. Move along. No need to think. There was no confusion with paint. Everything was black or white...or green...or blue...or whatever primary color or mix that it needed to be. The point was, it was simple and mindless and he needed to be mindless right now.

So after nine hours of painting, he found himself dozing, barely awake as his hand moved of its own accord to finish the project while his mind was barely conscious. He didn't hear the sound of the door opening or closing. He didn't hear the footsteps, or the voice that was calling out to him. He didn't hear any of that.

But damn if he felt the presence of someone behind him, and their hand on his shoulder. He reacted once more on instinct, his hands flying up and flipping the person over, he struck out, eyes wide as he was awake at long last, focused on this perceived threat as it came rocketing towards him. He brandished his paint brush as a weapon and went in for the _kill _when he noticed that the person was none other then Damion Fratello.

Blinking, he stared at the man long and hard. The man was wearing a business shirt and slacks, a tie around his neck, and he looked completely and totally stunned. The boy released him, horror flooding his body as he sat back on his heels. Tears filled his eyes as he looked at the now ruined shirt that was covered in paint – he'd just literally thrown the man into the newly painted set – and the man who was still sitting there frozen stiff. Men of sixty should not be flung over people's shoulders. It just wasn't done!

"Luca...are you alright?" The man asked slowly as he stared at the crying boy who was burying his face in his hands. Three times in a row someone had done that...and three times in a row he'd reacted the same way. What was the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again and yet expecting different results. Well fuck. He was insane then.

"I'm sorry!" He cried, face covered in paint now as he tried to wipe away tears with still wet hands. He had no idea how depressing he looked, weeping openly with paint on his face, the boy looked so young and so fragile that the man slowly yet surely pushed himself up and _carefully _reached out to touch the boy's face.

"You have nothing to apologize for. I shouldn't have sneaked up on you." The man reasoned easily. "I left my script here...didn't think anyone would still be here. You're painting?" The man was trying to get the teen's mind off of what had just happened, anything to make him feel better, but the boy was crying only harder now.

"I've lost it...totally lost it." He muttered quietly before going into a slew of something that wasn't Italian. Russian? The man picked up on it this time, recognized the accented words.

"You know Russian?" He asked dumbly, still in slight shock at hearing the language.

"I was born there." The boy whispered. "In Moskva...Moscow." He said, looking up at the man with such fragile innocence.

"So you moved to Italy then?" The man asked, as he was bringing up the accentless Italian the boy was clearly fluent in. He laughed though, leaning down and falling onto his back, the teen pressed an arm to his eyes as he lay there, completely still.

"No. I ran away." The boy muttered softly. Damion frowned. "From Russia...three months ago." His mouth dropped slightly.

"You've never lived in Italy before now?" He couldn't understand the accent, it made no sense, the boy had to have been raised-

"I had a good tutor." The boy snickered, his voice dark. The man looked down at the child in stunned silence.

"Who taught you? You said you never went to school."

"My _father." _The teen grumbled. "Bastard taught everyone. Kai knows it too...everyone does. Anna actually _is _Italian though. I mean, who would doubt that, Italian beauty as it was." He snickered again, but Damion could only stare. It was the first time the teen had made a real comment about his an Anna's relationship with each other.

"What happened to you Luca?" The man murmured as he looked down at this broken soul before him. The child moved his arm and stared at the man as though contemplating whether or not to tell. He stared for a long while before snorting and shaking his head.

"What would it matter if I told you anyway?" He mused lightly. "You'll send me back. Doesn't do any good, I'll end up back there anyway..." Damion opened his mouth to deny it, but the boy continued talking. "I'm a spy for the International Security Agency. I have been for nearly six years." The man blinked and his mouth dropped in dumb awe. "There's a _school _in Moscow called Balkov Abbey. It's a beyblading school for people who want to train to become champions. Must work, Russia's been the world champions for five years. I've been reigning leader for two."

"Beyblading?" He'd heard of the sport but never really followed it. He was still trying to grasp that this boy wasn't actually Italian and that he was a _spy _of all things for the ISA.

"Yeah. Great sport. You'd love it. Then again, Italy isn't worth its weight in gold in the sport, you guys love your football. Whatever. Balkov Abbey is run by my dear old dad. Though he'd never let me call him that so there's no real point in mentioning it. He takes his jollies in beating little kids up and murdering them before they're old enough to even understand what it means to be an idol." The man's eyes trailed to the teen's scarred arms. "My job, was to report back to the ISA all the dealings and happenings in the Abbey. It's actually a first rate school if you take away the multiple counts of murder and child abuse, but hey – nothing's perfect." The teen actually was snickering at it, even as Damion's face was becoming awash with shock. "I know more languages then you could ever dream of, I'm a master at history and math, I can run circles around you in psychology, and I know more about beyblading then you'll ever know about your stupid play house.

"Oh it was all well and good. Get whipped a few times before bed, starve through a few meals a week, watch your friends get tortured before dinner. Who the hell fucking cares? That's life right? That's what we're hell bent on saving the world for. Boris gets his plan for world domination in gear and we run back to the ISA and tell everyone all about it. He goes off and starts creating an army that's going to take over the world in a year or so, and we go and try to find a way to stop it. The world doesn't give a damn and moves on. It ignores us, and moves the hell on. So who cares. I don't.

"This whole world is shit. It doesn't give a flying fuck about what happens around it. It says one thing and does another. It talks about justice and love and truth and yet it does nothing to protect it. I watch kids – ten year old _kids _shooting their friends in the heads with glock .45s all for the sake of a future that's never going to happen. Boris is going to bring his little army to the world, and they're going to be all sitting on their fat asses and singing to the wind about how unfair it is that they're going to be taken over. Well fuck em. They didn't do shit, and I'm tired of it.

"I'm tired of watching my friends suffer. I'm tired of seeing my girlfriend crying as she bandages up the new series of wounds I got. I'm tired of it all...and God damn it am I scared to go back." Tala was looking up at the man now, the man who had certainly not been expecting any of this to come out of the boy's mouth. "I failed my last order." He continued, tears streaming down his face. "Anna had broken into the Abbey and she'd been caught. I was ordered to kill her. Well fuck. I didn't do that. She got away." The man nodded, his heart pounding as the teen's blue eyes stared unflinchingly into his own. "I did shoot her though. I tried to kill her. I really did. It was my job. My job was to kill her. Boris ordered me to kill her. I didn't. I got arrested. I got sent back to the Abbey. I thought she was dead. I thought I killed her. I shot her! She fell into the water and she didn't come back up! I shot her!" He cried out hysterically now. "The cops came and took me away, they didn't go to get her.

"No one checked to see if she was going to come back up, no one checked to see if she was alive. I shot her! I killed her! It's not fair! It's not fair, why did they arrest me? They should have gotten her-"

"Luca, Anna's alive." The man whispered, suddenly realizing what true pain this boy was holding on too for all these months.

"No. Anna's dead." Tears cascaded down his cheeks. "I went back to the Abbey and because I missed when I first fired at her...because I didn't do it well enough. That was my job. They kept putting up pictures, and I had to shoot her face over and over again. They animated the photos. They put a slide show up on the target of her dancing in the rain, her laughing, her smiling, her calling out my name. I killed her over and over again." Damion felt his heart clench as the boy's miserable eyes stared up at him. "And when it was over...when I went back to the ISA, when Kai told me she was still alive...when he told me everything was going to be alright...I shot her then too. Or at least...I tried. I hadn't meant too, I really hadn't. She was standing there by the elevator, and before I knew it I had shot at her. She'd ducked though, but her stitches had torn and she was bleeding all over the floor. There was so much blood and all I could think of was that I'd shot her again, that I'd killed her again...that this time she was really dead. "She punched her arm when I'd aimed at her again, and she tore the stitches there too...all the blood made me hesitate just long enough for Kai to show up and talk to me long enough to get me to put the gun down...but I had it aimed at his head. I was going to shoot him. I was going to kill my own brother because he'd interrupted me from killing my girlfriend! Then Miss-Chris knocked me out with a sedative and when I came too Anna was there asking me if I wanted to leave...so here we are. That's my fucked up story of what the fuck happened to me. "My father murdered my parents, he killed my mom, he drove my brother insane, he destroyed one of my best friend's emotional stability to the point that he loses his temper to the point of near murder sometimes, he broke my other friend's growth plates so many times that he's a legal midget, and my other friend barely speaks a word because of it all. Meanwhile I'm dating a girl that I've tried to kill more times then there are days in a week, I flip out if someone touches me, and I can't carry a normal conversation with someone without sounding like a complete idiot." He was laughing again, tears running down his face as he covered it with his palms. "I'm insane...totally fucking insane."

"You're not insane Luca."

"It's Luka." He corrected softly. "I hate that fucking name. My name's fucking Luka. Even Tala's fine. I don't care which one, but Luca was Anna's dumb idea at blending in. Fuck it. It doesn't matter at this point. I already told you everything, I'll be going back there in no time now."

"I'm not going to send you back there." Blue eyes were staring up at him. He was in shock. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard.

"You're...not?" He asked softly, blinking in awe.

"No...no my boy I can honestly say not a bone in my body wants to send you back there." Damion sighed and took a hanker-chief from his pocket and started to dab away the paint on the boy's face. "_Luka_, you've lived a life you never should have had to live...I can't say I understand all of it, and I can't say that I ever will...but your life is your own. I'm not going to call up some Abbey in Russia to let them know that your down here. Nor am I going to report you to the ISA. You left because you needed to heal. You needed to get away from that place and learn how to breathe again. If you don't want to go back...I'm not going to make you go back. It's as simple as that." Tears were flooding the boy's face as he looked at the man.

"You're...not sending me back?" He whispered quietly. "There are people...people who are going to try to find us...if they do we'll go back. You'd be paid so much money if you just told them where we were."

"No, I won't send you back...not for any price. Now come along dear boy, I believe there's a girl that's waiting for you at home that's probably very worried about you." The teen didn't move. He made no effort to stand. Instead he stared at him.

"I need help." He admitted softly. The man nodded quietly. "What do you need help with?" He asked.

"I...need to stop reacting when people touch me." He started off, and the man nodded slowly. "I need to start talking to people again..." He continued as he thought of all the horrible conversations he'd had recently. He closed his eyes. "I need to talk to Anna."

"You talk to her everyday." But he was shaking his head.

"No...I need to talk to her like I used too...I need to treat her right...I can't just punch her in the face because she startled me, or strangle her when she gets too close. I need to...be _her_ Luka again..." The man was nodded quietly.

"It's a tall order...I'm willing to help if I can...if you really want to work at it." Luka looked up at him.

"I do." The man nodded.

It started off slow. After that night, Tala told Anna that he was going to be coming home late almost every night. Each night he'd spend them either at the theater or in the ocean. Damion had said quite simply that swimming would be a good thing for him to learn how to do. He'd asked why, but soon found out that because he didn't actually know how to swim, he was starting to be able to put trust in someone besides himself again.

Damion would swim out into the sea and instruct the redhead to go towards him, and the boy had to trust that should anything go wrong, the man would be there to catch him if he fell. It was a hard thing to start trying to do again, and he hadn't even realized that it was something he needed to work on, but as time went on, he did start to see the difference.

He wasn't watching what people were doing so closely, he wasn't feeling such a need to guard and protect himself...and slowly...he was opening up. Damion would talk to him while he was painting the sets, posing ideas and scenarios that he desperately needed posed for him. He would answer back, and soon, he was finding his voice again.

The whole cast noticed the change almost immediately. No longer playing with his sleeves in the corner, the boy was actually starting to ask questions and bring up ideas and topics whenever he found them to be prudent. He was finding his voice again, and while it wasn't quite as strong as it used to be, it was growing in strength everyday.

Yet no one noticed it as much as Anna. The girl stared at him in dumb surprise when he pulled the chair out for her to sit down in at dinner once. A dinner that _he _had made. He'd never cooked anything a day in his life before, but that was another thing he'd asked Damion about. So he'd made something simple. The man had suggested him something very simple in fact: Go for the blue box. One stop at the super market later and dinner was made on the russian boy.

"Sorry it's not anything fancy." He mumbled as he blushed slightly but she looked up at him and smiled so brightly that he felt his heart soar.

"I love the blue box." She told him as she dug into the prefabricated noodles that would make any good respected Italian glare disapprovingly at due to the pure disrespect to pasta kind. It didn't matter though, because to him, he had made a dinner – and liar or not she'd said she'd loved it!

He dove deep into his role of Marius, singing almost everywhere he went, and he found the more he sang the more his heart seemed to heal. Strange as it was, but he felt better and better every time he sang, every time he painted, and every time he cooked. It was a weird thing to feel better about, but boy was he enjoying himself.

He was actually starting to feel like a normal human being again. The true change though, and as much as Damion would have loved to say it was his responsibility, came from Christmas day. After that, no one could deny that Luka Tala Ivanov...was coming back.

Damion watched the person who had been staring at the kids' house for the past hour. Whoever it was, they kept their face hidden. Wrapped in a scarf and a hat, hiding all but his eyes, the person had hardly moved from his spot. He kept his gaze focused on the window, and stared at it with an intensity that was rivalled among many. He hadn't moved an inch, and even though it was snowing, he was looking only at the house.

It was entirely unnatural, and Damion didn't like it. All he could think about were Luka's frightened words that someone was going to come after them and when they did he was going to disappear forever. He had been going to spend a Christmas meal with his favorite two runaways when he'd seen the suspicious looking person standing there. So he'd waited.

The kids were out and about, and weren't going to be back until a little later, so Damion was content hiding in the shadows and watching the person stare at the house. After an hour though, he felt his temper grow too much and he marched forwards, intent on finding out just what this _man's _intentions were.

"Excuse me." He called out, and the man turned and looked at him. "May I ask what business you have here?" He inquired, feeling all his courage rising up in his chest.

"Not really." The man replied, and Damion blinked.

"What?"

"Not really, you can't ask what business I have here, seeing as how it is _none _of yours." Damion suddenly felt his temper flare to new levels as he glowered at the person.

"It is my business seeing as how the occupants are close friends of mine." That caught the man's attention and he turned to look at him fully now.

"Really?" There was a hint of desperation in the unknown man's voice. "And how are they? Well?"

"I see no reason to tell you since you will not even give me your name." The man clenched his fists as he glared at the actor.

"My name is none of your concern. I don't have much time in the first place, so why don't you tell me what you know and I'll be on my way."

"I think not!" Damion hissed, convinced now that this was one of those people hunting after the runaways. "State your business Signore, or be on your way!"

"I told you, my business is none of your concern, but if you would tell me these people's whereabouts or state of being I would be greatly appreciate it!"

"I will not tell you until you state your business."

"Listen old man, you're not someone I work for or trust and so at the moment I don't care who you say you are or what you're going on about. You've been staring at me for the past hour and if you are someone from the Abbey then you might as well tell me now!" Fratello's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"So you are from the Abbey." He hissed as he stalked forwards.

"You _do not _want to go there right now." The unknown person hissed as he left foot slid backwards a little bit. He was getting into a fighting stance.

"You're not taking those kids anywhere!" The elderly man growled as he raised a clenched fist. It would have been laughable if his intent hadn't been so serious.

"What? Take them where?" The unknown seemed truly surprised for a moment.

"Back to that God forsaken place run by that monster!" Fratello hissed back. The unknown raised an eyebrow and was about to respond when a soft and gentle voice lifted over the sound of the wind.

"Kai?" Both males turned and glanced to the sight of the young redhead standing in a light jacket and scarf and staring straight at the unknown with a stunned expression on his face. His hair had been pulled back and was resting on his shoulder and to his right, Anna had an arm hooked with his, and she too looked surprised.

"You're too good at this little brother, I'm standing with my back to you and you still know who I am." The unknown mumbled as he took his hat off and slid his scarf down so they were standing face to face. "How ya been?" He asked lightly. Anna gasped, tears in her eyes as she let go of Tala's arm and rushed forwards, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, calling his name even as he let out an 'oof.' "Jeez Anna could you throw yourself any harder? I'm practically on ice here."

Damion blinked as realization clicked in. This was Kai...the infamous Kai who was Tala's brother and Anna's dear friend and Adeline's...someone. This was also the brother who had stood by and just let all those monstrosities happen to Luka in the first place.

"Bastard." He hissed. The newcomer glanced back at him in confusion. "How could you let that man put his hands on that boy? How could you let him work for the ISA and let himself go through all that pain?!" Anna blinked, and Tala opened his mouth to cut in, but didn't get a chance to say anything.

"Well someone's a Chatty Cathy." Kai said good naturedly as he looked at Anna. The girl let go of him and shook her head.

"It wasn't me." She told him honestly, looking back at Tala.

"I take it back, someone's standing over there not giving his big brother a hug and not even properly telling stories about his amazing sibling who flew here all the way from Japan just to spend Christmas with his little bro." Tala smirked, and Damion stared, in awe slightly at what happened next.

"What can I say? I always did like Bryan better."

"Ah! I'm hurt!" The teen clutched his heart dramatically and Tala shook his head.

"I thought I was the actor in the family." He said simply as he moved forwards and gave the teen a hug.

"According to Adeline you are, though I still can't believe it. Must be all those weird artist genes that got thrown into your cocktail. I however, clearly got all the good looks."

"Good looks my ass, even if you did have them, which you don't, you have no apparent sex drive at all. If you did, you would have told that poor girl ages ago that you wanted to have her kids." The redhead was laughing, pulling back and looking at him as though he were crazy.

"Now Luka, I know we didn't pay attention in the Abbey all that much when they were going over _that _particular unit, but I would have thought you'd known by now that I _can't _have her babies. It's actually the other way around-"

"Screw you Sacha." The teen scowled.

"Now that was uncalled for."

"You started it you ass. What the hell are you doing here? Adeline said you were living in a warehouse in Japan running intel on that Granger kid."

"What do ya know, I actually thought I'd visit my favorite brother on Christmas." The smile faded from the redhead's face.

"You should have gone home...not here. They need you more." He said softly, looking down. Kai reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

"Hey, you needed me more right? They'll understand. I can't stay long though, I have a flight to France in about twelve hours...but until then...let's have Christmas together hmm? You can even introduce me, properly, to your body guard here." He motioned back to Damion who could hardly believe he'd seen what he'd just seen.

In the past few months that he'd known him, Tala had never once shown any inkling at all as to being such a sharp tongued, quick witted, master of banter. He had proven himself efficient in dead panning and sarcasm, but it was rare when he opened up his box of humor.

Now though, the words had flown freely and easily from the teen's mouth and it had been so completely natural that Damion found himself thanking God above for such a Christmas present for the boy. It had been almost instantaneous. Tala had seen his brother and almost instantly he'd fallen into an old pattern that he'd been used to doing since birth.

Damion could see now, despite his earlier comments, these two were closer. _Very _close. Romantic relationship aside, Kai and Tala seemed far closer then Tala and Anna ever were. Yet it was a different relationship with them. Kai knew quite clearly the depths of his brother's soul, and he knew exactly what to say and how to say it to get what he wanted to get done – done. The boys were so very very close. It was a blessing that he'd flown all the way to Italy for this one day to be with his brother.

"Sure...umm..." Tala bit his lip slightly before pushing on Kai's arm and making him face the elderly actor. "Signore Fratello, this is my big brother Kai." The teen glanced at the redhead with a frown on his face. He wondered if Luka had picked up on just what he'd said, but it didn't look like he had, so he introduced himself anyway.

"Sorry about before Signore, as he said my name is Kai, and I'm really _his _little brother, but what's a month between friends when we're as close as he and I?" The boy smiled a big shit eating grin as he reached out to shake the man's hand.

The man shook it, but confusion was written firmly on his face.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand..."

"They're adopted, or at least, Luka was adopted by Kai's parents when they were small. They always thought that Kai was older, but they found out later that Luka was really older and so it's been somewhat of an ongoing joke as to who acted older ever since." Anna translated. "Now, does anyone feel like going inside? It's freezing out here!" She complained as she rubbed her arms to prove her point.

"You'd think after living in Russia for so long you'd have gotten used to the cold Donna." Luka whispered softly, translating his old nickname of Dama into Donna for the privalage of Damion.

"You'd like to think that wouldn't you? Well I unfortunately haven't been inbred for generations to resist the cold and expire in the heat!" She growled as she stalked to the front door.

"I don't know what you're talking about Anya, I'm a quarter Japanese." He grinned brightly.

"I have no excuses, apparently I'm inbred!" The redhead muttered, seemingly about to cry as he thought about her statement. Kai wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"It's okay, she's American. We all have our faults."

"I heard that!" She yelled as she tapped her foot impatiently.

"We love you Anya." They chorused in unison, and not for the first time, Damion found himself thanking God that Kai was here. If there was one thing that this boy needed to get back on his feet, it seemed it was the help of his little/big brother!

They walked inside the little home and Damion watched Kai as his face shimmered brightly at the Charlie Brown Christmas tree in the corner. He walked towards it and touched the needles for a brief moment before flicking the switch to see the lights and colors go on. Not to far away there was a humble manger set up, baby Jesus on the little cot like bed where he had been absent every day before then.

It had been a tradition of their mother's – his and Tala's. She had always gotten a big tree for the house, but she'd also gotten a little tree, the smallest tree, and put it in their room. They'd asked her why once, but she'd always said that they were the ones who would appreciate the little tree the most, and it was true. They always had. To them, decorating that little tree was far more fun then decorating the big tree.

They used to get their friends from the Abbey to give them something to put on the tree, and without fail each time they did, there was a present for their friends waiting underneath it in the morning. It was a tree that Kai and Tala had poured their hearts and souls into. They had made those trees with the express purpose of celebrating Christmas for their friends at the Abbey...a tiny tree of hope that was theirs alone.

Voltaire had always bought a big tree for the mansion, but whenever they were all together, the boys would go out and find their Charlier Brown tree to put someplace close bye. A special tree that was theirs.

Around this tree, now, was tinsel and lights. Yet the ornaments that hung said clearly several names: Voltaire, Bryan, Ian, Spencer, Michaels, Kai, and last but no least; Mikhail. It was a tree for their friends they may not see again, and he was touched by it. Quietly the teen reached up and removed his name.

"Well, I'm here now, no need to take up space right?" He asked as he looked at them. It wasn't really that, it was because he knew that in Russia, there was already a tree with his name on it, and he didn't need to have it here too.

Kai and Tala disappeared into a room at the end of the hall, and Anna made some coffee for their guest who was looking after them with a brief amount of amusement on his face. He couldn't believe the phenomenal change that had taken place when the two had seen each other. While his answers still hadn't really been answered, he didn't really care anymore....it seemed like Luka was healing and that was all he needed to know.

"Kai was in the Abbey too you know." He looked up at Anna who was sitting down across from him.

"He was?" She nodded and took a sip of her own cup.

"Yes. For nine years or so. It's where they first met. They were just toddlers when it happened, and Luka didn't know how to talk or act or even understand what was going on around him. Kai was the one who named him and when his mom showed up, she adopted him nearly on the spot!"

"I don't understand, I thought that Luka's father-"

"Boris Balkov is the _sperm _donner of that boy, nothing more." She hissed as she glowered at her cup. "His parents were Aya and Nikoli Ivanov, and that was that." He nodded, letting her go on. "Boris killed them both in front of them, and for a while Kai truly believed it was his fault that it had happened. They both started living in the Abbey again, even though their parents had taken them away from it, and they stopped talking for a while."

"Why?"

"Because he thought it was his fault Kai started to throw blame anywhere he could, he was trying to convince himself that it wasn't his fault by blaming Luka. Their silence didn't last long though, one day Kai and him just started to talk again, and that night they decided to run away. I can't tell you the details, but they....made a bit of a flashy exit. Not entirely on purpose mind you, but half the Abbey got destroyed because of it. Kai saved Luka's life that day...he was going to get crushed when apart of the building started to fall over top of him and Kai shoved him out of the way. The only problem is that he hit his head on the way down. He lost all his memories of everything that happened." Damion stared, his mouth dropping slightly. "Their grandfather swept in and took Kai away, leaving Luka behind because he wasn't harmed. When the boys met up again, Kai didn't have a clue as to who he was, and Luka joined the ISA soon afterwards. It was probably because he was so pissed off at the situation of what happened to his brother and what was happening to his friends that he joined...but hey. A few weeks later the others, Kai and I included, joined as well."

"You?"

"Yeah, I'm a tech support and mission operator. I run surveillance, computer hacking, and any involvement of communication and paperwork. My longest project is to track down the names of all of the children in the Abbey and who their parents are so that when everything is over they can go home."

"Sounds like you've been busy."

"Yeah...even though we're here, I still send any updates and information I've collected back. It's a different case with me, I didn't have much of a reason to leave. The only reason I had was basically that I wanted him to be alright." Damion smiled and patted her knee.

"That's all the reason you need child."

Kai was fidgeting with the mechanics behind the BDS2. Upon request, Anna had shown Tala what she'd done so far and he'd helped her to an extent when it came to the actual building of the machine. In truth, a lot of their pay checks had gone to getting the equipment for the server which was another reason why Damion's charity was so needed and loved. He wast truly helping them out.

He sat down in the chair and Luka opened his mouth to tell him not to, but thought better of it and remained silent. Kai's hands ghosted over the headset that was just recently put together. The system hadn't gone on its maiden voyage yet, and Luka bit his lip, unsure if he really wanted his brother to do it.

"You know how to turn it on?" He asked as he took another slug of the beer that Anna had handed him before he'd walked into the room. The older teen nodded slightly, shifting awkwardly. "Well, why don't I give it a go? Practice for later as it were?" He mused as he slipped he headset on.

"No-" Kai turned to look at him.

"No?" He repeated gently.

"I...ah...I...just...no." He mumbled at long last. Kai pulled it off again and looked at his brother.

"What's on your mind Luka?"

"You _can't_."

"Why not? Is it not done yet?"

"It is...but..."

"Eye contact Luka, you're not four." The part japanese boy commented lightly as he reached out and tilted the boy's head to face him. Blue eyes were filled with so many worries, misting over slightly as they looked at the younger person. "Are you scared of what it'll show me?" He asked as he forced the teen to look at him.

"No..."

"Then what is it?"

"I..."

"Come on, you've never had a problem talking to me in the past. Why now?"

"I...don't know..." Tala sighed and pushed his bangs out of his face as he took a seat on the ground. Frowning, and refusing to let his brother look up to him, Kai moved and sat down right in front of him. He looked straight at the teen who blinked and struggled to hide his thanks. Kai wasn't about to let the older boy get away with putting him on a pedestal to compare himself with. If he was going to sit on the floor, they were going to do it together.

"Talk to me Luka, what's on your mind?"

"I learned how to swim!" The teen blurted out randomly, and Kai blinked, trying to figure out the connection.

"Good...job?" He tried as he tried to figure out just what the other was getting at.

"I nearly killed myself a few months ago because I couldn't swim...I didn't mean to but suddenly I was in the water and drowning." Kai's mouth dropped.

"What the hell? Why'd you get in the water if you couldn't swim?"

In all honesty, the water had been a bigger fear for Tala then just the fact he couldn't swim. It had been a few years back, another Christmas time when all the Demolition Boys had gotten together to celebrate.

Tala had had the bright idea to have a snowball war, and since Anna had somehow caught a cold, she was left behind while they all ran out onto a lake nearby to play. It had started off rather fun. Everyone was rough housing and diving into the water, throwing snow at each other and tussling. Of course, that had been the plan...it hadn't turned out very well when the sounds of cracking met their ears.

Everyone was frozen stiff as they heard that. In a matter of moments they were running as fast as they possibly could to get back onto the shoreline, and had almost made it. Except Tala and Spencer both took a wrong step and suddenly had vanished under the ice. The boys were screaming, Kai had yelled for Ian to run back and get help while he summoned Dranzer to melt away the ice. Ian summoned Falborg and started having the great falcon fly above the water so it could grab the two kids if it saw them.

In the end though, it was Spencer who had saved the day. He'd called his whale forth and had saved both him and Tala who was barely conscious by that point. The two of them were herded back into the house and everyone was scolded as they were thrown under blankets and treated for hypothermia.

Ever since then it was an almost natural diversion to water that the redhead had maintained efficiently for years. He didn't want anything to do with it, and that was fine, except for the fact that Italy just happened to be a penninsula and swimming was something people did often.

Kai found himself actually rather irritated that the redhead had done what he'd done. He already hated the water, so it made no sense that the teen would jump into the sea and have at it. Still though, at the announcement that he could now swim, Kai felt slightly better, at least the boy wouldn't be drowning any time soon.

"I didn't mean too...Signore Fratello saved me."

"Ah, is that how you met?" Kai had been wondering about that.

"Yes, but...he's also a member of the theater we work at."

"Is he now? Talk about coincidences."

"Yeah, he's also the brother of the man we got the house from...I guess...he's...he's been helping me." Kai raised an eyebrow.

"Helping you with what?"

"To get better..." Tala mumbled quietly. "He uh...he...he taught me how to swim...and I'm...better at talking..."

"Luka...why were you having a problem to start with?"

Tala blinked at that. He knew when he had the problem. He knew the exact moment it had started. He knew all the reasons that had lead up to that moment too...however...even in that moment he hadn't had too much of a problem with people touching him. His brothers back at the Abbey pulled him this way and that, Kai hugged him that very day, and yet he'd had no problem to being touched...

He'd been quiet before then too though. He barely had spoken after Anna had died. It didn't make all that much sense. He nearly killed a girl he loved and so to retaliate he didn't speak? That didn't make sense at all...

He had always maintained a perfect self confidence. He'd always been able to move and talk and laugh and love with ease. He'd been willing to sacrifice himself on the three, he'd been willing to let himself get thrashed about for ages...he'd been willing to do all of that, and yet now suddenly he could barely string a sentence together?

He blinked, and blinked again. Then he raised his eyes to Kai's. Suddenly it all became clear.

"I was scared of him..." He whispered. Kai motioned for him to continue. "I was scared of Boris...of what he'd say, of what he'd show me....I was scared of..._me... _I thought that I'd become someone who was one of Boris' willing slaves...I thought I didn't know the difference between right and wrong, and so everything I said was wrong..."

"And now?" Kai asked as he brushed some of his brother's hair out of his face.

"I'm only scared of him." He answered back in dumb awe.

"So you know the difference between right and wrong?" Kai continued, keeping eye contact the whole while.

"Yeah...I think I do."

"You know you aren't, weren't, and have never been Boris' willing slave?"

"Yeah..." Tala's voice was oddly sure even to his own ears. He found himself truly believing the words he was speaking.

"You're not afraid of what you're capable of?" The teen hesitated. He looked away.

"No...I still am." He relented softly.

Kai raised an eyebrow and then without warning threw a lightening fast punch straight at his brother's head. The teen caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and he ducked back, yelping slight, and knocking something over with a crash as he avoided it. He barely had time to recover before Kai was at him again, striking as hard and as fast as he'd ever been able to in the past.

There was a scramble from somewhere in the house, and soon enough Anna and Damion were at the door staring at the scene in dumb shock. Kai kicked out and without thinking about it, Tala blocked it and went threw a strike at the younger teen's throat. It was caught though and easily enough he twisted it, with a quick tug and pull the arm was behind the redhead's back and his chest was heaving as he glowered at the floor.

"What's wrong? You never had a problem beating the crap out of me before? You're out of practice." The younger boy whispered into his ear.

"Fuck you Kai." Tala hissed back as he stomped hard on the boy's foot and shot his free arm upwards, crashing it into the other's nose and making him release his hold. Tala stumbled forwards and he whipped around, eyes sharp and focused as he glared at the younger boy who was busy wiping blood off his face.

He was just about to relax his stance, thinking the strange fight was over, when suddenly he had a face full of blood that had been thrown in his eyes and he was staggering back trying to blink. He let out an 'oomph' as he was tackled to the ground, his arms instinctively going up to block the strangle hold he somehow knew was coming. He grabbed Kai by the shirt and bucked his hips, twisting at the ame time and sending him flying over his head. He got to his feet, but it didn't last long because the younger boy leg swept him and he went crashing back down to the floor.

He growled low in his throat and reached for whatever it was he could find with his hands and he just so happened to find a fork that was resting on a plate of food that had never been bussed. He jumped back up to his feet and brandished it like a knife. Kai's eyes narrowed in on it, and as the two stalked around each other, his focus was entirely on the weapon.

"Hey-" Anna caught Damion's arm and shook her head when it looked like he was going to stop them. "They're going to get hurt-"

"Believe it or not, this is nothing compared to some of the fights those two have gotten in to. It's best to just let them sort out all their male aggression and hope they don't break my _very expensive _server!" She raised her voice at the last part and both boys glanced to the computer stuffs that practically filled up the room. They nodded simply as their response, clearly hearing her and not wanting to end the fight just yet though.

Fratello watched in mute silence as the redhead stabbed forwards with the would be knife. His wrist was caught in an expert block though and it was twisted out of the way and soon Kai's elbow met his brother's nose. Even as the fight got more aggressive, and the two were going through various moves in boxing, combat Tai Chi, Judo, and even a bit of street fighting thrown into the mix.

One thing that was increasingly obvious was how evenly matched they both were. Regardless of the fact the two of them were going head to head, they rarely left an opening, and when they did it was capitalized upon. The fight itself was more and more interesting to watch, and through it all, he was awed to observe that there was a slow smile forming on the redhead's face.

After about ten minutes or so, the two were sufficiently bloody and bruised and were gasping for breath on the floor. They'd both been thrown to the ground and were seemingly completely out of energy. Tala took a shuddering breath as he could slightly and rubbed his ribs.

"Kai?" He asked as he slowly started to roll on his side to look at his brother who looked back.

"Yeah?" Without warning the redhead punched him _hard _in the cheek.

"You're a fucking ass when you're trying to prove life lessons." He muttered as he slowly pushed himself back to his feet. For some reason Kai's decision to fight him made him feel better. He felt like he didn't have to be scared of himself anymore...he managed to control himself in a fight without hurting his brother at all. Or at least, without hurting him too badly. His heart sang. He just managed to make it up when Kai kicked his legs out from under him and he went crashing back down.

"You're supposed to say, thank you almighty Kai my lord and master, please may your brilliant teachings be rendered upon my padawan brain some more?" He boasted as he wiped some blood off his face.

Anna couldn't help but laugh at that, apparently Kai had gotten no less arrogant in his time away. The redhead glowered up at him, but stopped when the teen held out a hand and the two helped each other up, grumbling about how sore their muscles were the whole while.

"You deserve it. The both of you." She told them as she looked at the disreputable state of their clothes. Somewhere along the way Kai's scarf had been removed (most likely because it was a far to easy thing to catch and start a strangle hold on).

"You're not supposed to say that Anya!" Kai whined as he looked at her. "You're supposed to say 'oh my poor babies let me give it a kiss and make it better!'" Tala swatted at the back of his head.

"Give who a kiss you prat?" He asked as he popped one of his fingers he'd apparently dislocated during the brawl back into place.

"You of course, incest is frowned upon in most cultures, and I've lived with that girl too much for it to be anything but!"

Damion found himself finding the boy positively endearing. At first he'd been put off by his attitude and his appearance. After all, the blue face paint made him look nothing but trouble. Now though, with his hair all a mess and his paint smudged, the teen looked like just any other teenager boy. A rough housing child who was good with his words and was a silver tongued devil. No wonder Adeline had become friends with this boy. He seemed capable of making friends with anyone he met.

The boys went off and cleaned themselves up, and when they came down, bandaged and bruises starting to show, they all sat around the table and ate a Christmas meal together. Without any family of his own, the elderly man found himself feeling truly blessed for the first time as he looked at the two teenagers who had touched his heart deeply over the past few months, and this boy who had appeared out of nowhere today and been a blessing to one of them.

The change was almost instantaneous. Tala, for whatever reason, was actually half way normal after he'd had that strange fight. He didn't understand it at all, but it seemed that whatever issues the teen had about being touched had almost vanished after a few rounds with his brother who was still arrogantly boasting about how he'd wiped the floor with the redhead.

"You're such an idiot, I beat you!" The boy snapped back as he brandished a piece of cake as a weapon.

"Luka Tala Ivanov, you throw that and you're cleaning up not only the server – which you're still doing by the way – but also the kitchen, the living room, the bathroom, and the bedroom _for a month_!" Anna hissed and he put it back down on his plate without so much as a peep.

"I take it back, Anna's the winner." Kai whispered quietly into his brother's ear who laughed and nodded his head in agreement.

When dinner was over, the group gathered around the tree and passed out presents and the like. Understandably no one had really expected Kai to be there and so he hadn't received any. He laughed and dubbed himself Santa then as he passed everyone elses gifts out.

The real treasure though, was when Kai handed Luka something from his pocket. A locket shaped like a wolf's head that howled when you pressed a button hidden on the side. The teen's eyes filled with tears at the sight of it. He hadn't been able to grab it before he left, and now that he had it back he couldn't find the words to express his thanks upon seeing it. Kai just said he was sorry he was regifting, but the other teen didn't care, he hugged him for all he was worth and thanked him copiously for it.

"I took the liberty of also putting something in it." He admitted, and almost instantly the locket was opened and there inside was a picture of all the Demolition Boys, Michaels, and Voltaire. A small memo was on the opposite side declaring:

_To our favorite wolf, be safe, we love you! _

It was a gift to be rivaled that was for sure. No one could say anything about it not being a phenomenal present. It had been his first present from all those years before when he'd gone home with Kai for the first time. Voltaire had run out and bought it so that he'd have something for Christmas too, and he'd given it to him.

The boy had kept it with him through the years, and after Kai had left the Abbey, the necklace had stayed behind so as to keep it safe. He had hardly touched it over the years. Now though, it was back in his hands where it belonged, a little bit of home attached to it so he could never forget where he came from and who believed in him.

It was a present that he would never forget for as long as he lived.

Fratello left after a while and the three teens spent the rest of the night talking about whatever came to their mind, Kai begged a show of what they were working on in Les Mis. And they accomadated. He didn't even laugh, in fact, he seemed oddly impressed by them, and she clapped and smiled accordingly.

Then, Anna loaded up the BDS2 for the first time, and Kai slipped into the seat, ready to challenge it. It was his first time ever using the server, and he was only doing it because he wanted to see what it was like. He had heard so much about it, and he had known that it was his responsibility to pilot the server in the future, so he wanted to give it a whirl.

It wasn't like he'd expected. The visualization process made things so much easier, and before he knew it he was entering into the world of secrets and codes. He found himself floating through various military databases and intelligence agencies. He found himself hacking into the cameras at the Abbey and watching what was going on there. He found himself going through everything and realizing in dumb silence just how powerful this server was.

Emails, security codes, passwords, everything gave way to the server which was breaking through it all with ease. All he needed was a wish. A wish and a will and suddenly everything was opening up before him and he had the world at his fingertips. It was a power that should never have been created, and it was a power that he was experiencing for the first time.

A message appeared in the upper right corner, and he stared at it. Anna was telling to come back and to take the headset off. He frowned, and closed the programs he was looking at easily enough, but found that actually leaving the server was another problem all together. He couldn't bring himself to move. No matter how much he wanted to, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't actually take off the helmet.

He gasped, trying to breathe as he struggled to move, but he was paralyzed from the neck down. The couldn't do a thing. He tried to cry out for help, anything, everything. Then suddenly his vision errupted in fire and all he could see was everything around him burning. He screamed and tried to get away from it, and suddenly he was moving and he found himself on the floor, blinking up at Tala's terrified expression and Anna's worried gaze.

"What the fuck was that?" He mumbled as he raised a hand to his head.

"_That _would be our simulation copy of Black Dranzer not wanting to let you out...you alright?" She asked worriedly.

"Yeah...I'm good..." He groaned, his bruised body feeling more hurt then usual now.

"You were in the system for over five hours." Tala informed with a wary expression. "We were getting worried..."

"Five hours?" Kai couldn't believe it. He honestly hadn't thought it had been that long. He'd thought it had been more like half an hour.

"Yeah..." The teen bit his lip, looking at his brother with such a deep worry that Kai felt his heart tremble in his chest. The boy had been so fragile recently, that this new stunt had to have been something that had frightened the boy again. He forced a smile, trying to calm his worried brother.

"Damn...felt like only a few minutes." He mumbled shyly as he looked at the teen.

"It wasn't." The redhead whispered back, shifting awkwardly as though he didn't know where to place himself.

"Yeah, well...damn. That was...fun...?" Kai tried as he remembered the various things he'd gone through. Luka wasn't looking at him, not really. His eyes were focused on the last thing Kai had been looking at, something that was frozen on the viewing screen Anna had created. The security feed to the Abbey.

Kai looked at his brother, staring at him, and watching him intently. There was a look of quiet depression on the teen's face. Anna turned the monitor off, and the boy looked up, startled.

"You okay hun?" She asked softly as she looked at him. He nodded, rubbing the back of his neck warily.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but...you're alright Sacha?" He said the name without thinking, and the teen before him froze slightly. He opened his mouth to respond, but it seemed like his breath was stolen from him. He couldn't seem to string a sentence together, so he just stared. Tala blinked at him, not understanding what was going on, but eventually his brother nodded slowly.

"Yeah...Yeah I'm good..."

They talked for the next two hours, laughing and playing games until Kai finally announced that he had to leave. Tala watched him go quietly, not wanting to admit how munch he wished his brother would just stay with him. He didn't want to say how much he hoped Kai wouldn't return. He wanted Kai to stay there...he wanted him to join the play house and live the life that they were living in freedom. Not strung up by the ties of the ISA and Balkov Abbey.

He knew that Kai would go though. The plane was leaving for France and there was a petite little blonde probably waiting anxiously in the airport wondering if he was going to arrive safely. From France Kai was going back to Japan...back to the world of the ISA and espionage.

The runaways demanded to see their friend off and he allowed them too. He checked in at the ticket desk and then turned to look at his family with a bright smile.

"I'll be back before you know it guys." He said enthusiastically. "I'll swing by on the way to the world championships!"

"Yeah...oh...Kai...you think you could give this to Adeline? It's a Christmas present." Anna said as she held up a small bag. He nodded and took it from her. He looked up at his brother and smiled.

"You keep yourself out of trouble okay?"

"Yeah...I will." Tala smiled, a real smile this time, probably the first heartfelt smile since he'd left all those months ago.

"I'll try to swing by and see the play when it comes out alright?"

"Yeah, take care of yourself Kai."

And he was gone, but from that moment on, Tala seemed far more like his usual self then he had been in all the months he'd been away.

On the way home he thought of the chorus song from part two of the play. It was called Drink With Me, and in it all the men at the barricade were singing their last song before the great battle.

_Drink with me...to days gone by. _

_Sing with me...The songs we knew_

It was sad to see Kai leave, that last beer that they'd shared had been rather meloncholy. As they'd looked over the little Italy town they couldn't help but reminice on some of the things they'd done. Anna had stayed inside, knowing they'd wanted to have some time to themselves, and the two of them had definitely needed it. He felt rejuvinated, but at the same time he was deeply saddened by the fact that his brother had left...deeply saddened in deed.

_Here's to pretty girls...Who went to our heads  
Here's to witty girls...Who went to our beds_

And now Kai was flying off to France to be with his Lady Love and he was here with his own. He never really realized how much the women of their lives impacted them. Anna who had always been apart of his _other life _had understood everything his world was about and had never taken anything for granted because of it. She understood without being told and she was there for him regardless of what he did. Adeline was never apart of their world, she was pure and chaste and innocent. Kai loved her because she was someone apart from everything who would always quietly nod her head and listen despite how much she didn't understand.

_Here's to them...and here's to you!  
_

He remembered the look on Kai's face as he'd said he was going to see Adeline. He was aprehensive about it and when he'd asked him why, Kai had simply said that it was a bad idea to get too involved with her because of her station and her needs to get married. He simply wasn't an appropriate enough suitor. Business end, he was probably the best she'd ever get, but the idea was to legitamize her family and make it so they could get back into the monarchy. That meant some form of royalty, a duke or earl would up her standings greatly. No orphan boy from Russia was going to cut it. He was too young to think about marriage, and she was nearly three years older then he was. Their worlds were spinning in two different directions.

_  
Drink with me...to days gone by  
Can it be...you fear to die?_

In all honesty, he was afraid to die. He was scared and he was lonely and he didn't know what it was he was supposed to do anymore. Before he would have laughed and said it didn't matter, but now...now he'd experienced life and he was starting to realize what was so special about the world where he hadn't seen it before.

Before when he life was so dark and dismal he'd been doing things out of duty, but now...now he had seen children laughing in the park. He'd seen people playing soccer on the grass. He'd seen lovers holding hands and he'd tasted gelato and all sorts of wonderful foods. He had made relationships with people who he knew would be sad if he'd been gone.

If he'd died...he would never see his brother and Adeline together. He'd called her his sister in law, and he'd meant it. He'd wanted her to be apart of his family. He'd truly wanted her to be apart of his brother's life. She made Kai happy...if he died he'd never get to see the two of them together. He'd never get to attend their wedding...he'd never have his own wedding. Would Anna be the one for him? It seemed likely, but at this point he couldn't know.

What about the others? Would they make it out of the Abbey without him? Suddenly he felt a swell of guilt. He'd left them there to defend for themselves. He'd left them there all alone...he'd abandoned his team. The worst crime of all. He'd gone AWOL when they'd needed him.

_  
Will the world remember you when you fall?  
Could it be your death means nothing at all?  
Is your life just one more lie?_

He was sick of pretending and lying and making himself feel like the bad guy. He was sick of lying for a purpose. He wanted to do what was right. He wanted to see things right, and if to do that he needed to lie then maybe he should just keep on lying.

The car had reached the house now and they got out and walked inside easily enough. His mind was deep with thoughts. One thing was certain though, he was going to do things right from here on out. He wasn't going to have doubts and he wasn't going to do things wrong.

_  
Drink with me ...to days gone by  
To the life...that used to be_

That life was a cold and dark life, but it was a life that was condeming him to running forever. If that was the life he needed to return to see this world saved then maybe he should go back. His heart froze at that. Not now. Not now. He needed to wait. He needed to collect himself more. Once the server was completely finished, once all the bugs were worked out. Once everything was together then he would go back. Then he'd see the world saved. For now he needed to finish bringing himself together, and then he'd be ready.

_Let the wine of friendship...Never run dry _

_At the shrine of friendship...Never say die  
_

He couldn't believe that by the time he was finished with everything that someone was going to die. He refused to think of the danger that was ecompassing his allies in Russia. He refused to think that they could be in pain or were suffering. Kai had said that last he'd heard everyone was doing fine, and that Mikhail of all people was now a member of the team. It made him smile, and even Kai smiled faintly at that. They'd both known that Mikhail was actually a good guy, it just took something like this to show his true sides.

_Here's to you..and here's to me..._

Everyone was going to be fine, they were doing so well according to Kai. Everyone was pulling together nicely. The mission was going successfully. All he needed to do was get his act together, and he was almost there. He really was. He could feel the lightness in his step.

He reached out and pulled Anna towards him as she went to go to her room to sleep. She blinked at him in confusion, not understanding.

"Stay with me tonight." He told her sweetly.

_  
Do I care if I should die...now she goes across the sea?  
Life without Cosette...Means nothing at all_

He couldn't imagine a life without this girl in it. Now that he thought about it he wasn't all that concerned with how he'd fallen into near insanity. He understood it perfectly now. Without this girl in his life he'd have no grounding. He didn't feel ashamed about it either. He knew that she was his whole world and that without her he'd be lost.

_Would you weep, Cosette, should Marius fall?  
Will you weep, Cosette, For me? _

And he knew now undoubtedly, that she would. And he wouldn't put her through that. Just like how Kai wouldn't put Adeline through that. Just like how he couldn't possibly put his friends in the Abbey through that.

He was going back, once he felt fully put back together, he was going back. He was going to see it done. He was going to end this once and for all.

"Stay with you?" She repeated as she looked at him with arched eyebrows.

"Yeah...stay with me my love...I want to hold you through the night." She blushed beautifully and they disappeared into the bedroom.


	6. Empty Chairs at Empty Tables

**Windstar: **Once again, sorry for this being slightly late. I wasn't sure what to call this chapter to be honest, and "A little fall of empty raining tables" didn't sound right to me...Instead I just settled with what it is now. There are only two more chapters left. After those chapters are updated, I WILL BE POSTING LIES AND DECEIT. (cue applause). LAD is now over two hundred pages long and I'm writing the last five chapters as we speak. It is, regretably, shorter then OTT, but it's not lacking in content. I hope you'll enjoy it!

This is one of the first chapters in a long while I've checked thoroughly on the site. I finally had more then two minutes to update it and run off again. I hope you all enjoy!

Furthermore, there are a lot of Les Mis songs in this play (as I'm sure you've noticed). ALL of the songs are on youtube. I urge you all to listen to them while you read their parts in the chapter. It'll give you a better idea as to the feeling of the chapter I think.

Disclaimer: Same as always.

**Chapter Five: **

"I do not understand the problem here. You're a man. She's a woman. Clearly you're not gay, and she's your costar." Giana Cioffi was not amused by this blushing school boy who was complaining quietly, or at least trying to, that he didn't want to kiss Filippa. She didn't care much for discreetness though and was sick and tired of the conversation in the first place. Some of the other actors were snickering, knowing how embarrassing it was the first time you had to do a stage kiss, but not wanting to really get involved.

"It's not a matter of being a man or a woman, she's not Anna!" He said at long last, his face blushing hotly. There were a few cat calls, and not to far away the girl in question started to blush furiously and busy herself with looking through the song book. Giana was not impressed.

"Look, you've got a dick, use it. Make up sex is always much better anyway. Now get up there and start kissing before I decide to add two more scenes just for your idiocy!" The boy's mouth dropped. He didn't quite look like he knew what to say. He blinked a few times, and stared at her in awe, but in the end she just shoved him up the stage and called Filippa over so they could do their lines.

"It's okay Lu, I promise I'm not that bad of a kisser." The girl said as she batted her eyes at him.

"My name is not Lu, refrain from calling me as such Signora." She reeled back as though struck. He'd purposefully used the older title to tell her quite bluntly that she was far to old for him!

At twenty-six Filippa wasn't what you'd call old, and she was even quite good looking, however she was a decade older then her co-star and it was obvious he was uncomfortable around her. It wasn't even a matter of speaking with her, he could do that just fine thank you very much. No, it was a matter of whoring himself out (for that's what he considered getting paid to kiss her was after all) in order to fulfill his requirements of his part.

"I'm not that old!" She whined as she pouted unbecomingly. He rolled his eyes.

"Darling, you're ten years older then I am." He told her sarcastically as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Some guys like older women...they have more experience."

"Why do you think I'm with Anna, she's not old enough to be my aunt and she's still plenty woman enough for me." The brunette looked like a fire hydrant she was so red now. She silently was cursing Kai's name for coming back and giving his brother his self confidence back. Who said Tala had permission to talk about her like that in public?!

"I'm waiting for some smooching!" Giana yelled as she glowered at the two.

So Filippa said her line, and grudgingly Tala returned his. Her hands slid around his back and he slowly slid his arms around her slim body, pulling her to him. Embarrassingly enough, he was taller then her despite their age difference. He leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips that lasted only a few seconds before pulling away and continuing on with his line.

"There! Now was that so hard?" The director yelled as she rolled her eyes. The fuss had been absolutely nothing and he had delayed them by fifteen minutes by throwing his tantrum.

She had to admit though, it was nice seeing that he had a whiny side to him. She didn't know what had happened but after Christmas- he was a changed man. His friendship with Fratello had gotten stronger, and his relationship with Anna all the more blatant. Now it was surprising to see them apart for even a few seconds.

It was a usual occurrence to see them walking in, his arm around her shoulders. He'd give her small kisses throughout the day, and they'd allude to the fact that they were together in more ways then one. He had gotten into this light and teasing mood that made everyone at the company laugh. People found themselves oddly attracted to his out going behavior and his gentle nature.

There were so many stories that were circulating now about how close the three stars of the play were getting. Fratello practically lived at their house at times and anyone could tell that he had all but adopted the redhead as his own. It was strange to see it, the man never seemed to get attached to the kids he worked with, and yet for the first time he seemed to truly enjoy spending time with them.

"Say what you want, but I know you liked that." Filippa told him as he pulled back and started to walk away. He smiled at her.

"Say what you want, but a girl eight years younger then you kisses ten times better then you could ever dream of." And as though to prove his point he marched straight over to Anna and pulled her to him; planting a kiss to be rivaled on her parted lips while she blinked up in embarrassment. He pulled back after the cat calls started and grinned a shit eating grin as she pushed him away.

"Do you live to make me blush!?" She shouted horrified as her hands covered her face.

"Only on days ending in 'y.'" He told her easily enough.

As practice wrapped up, Anna was once more in her lover's arms and he was chattering away with Fratello about something or other. He was listening like he always did and the redhead was just laughing and buzzing about whatever had made him so excited. Giana had to smile, she liked seeing the boy so excited. It made her feel like they were helping him out.

It had been two months since the play had started practice, five months since the pair had run away from Russia. Everything was going so smoothly and Tala's disposition was only improving as time past. Kai called every now and then, filling them in on what was happening in Japan and what he'd heard from Russia.

As far as they could tell, everything was going wonderfully and there was no need to step in. A system came into play for the runaways. During the day they would work tirelessly. They'd come home and they'd sing to each other their songs in order to get them down pact, and while they sang they worked on the blueprints to the server and the newly discovered system in Tala's head – the LXCom.

With Korg's help, Anna started to delve into the system managements and started to program her computer to react and respond to the LXCom's signals as it was recording. Slowly she started to make her boyfriend do things just to see if she could. It started with him spilling a glass of water on himself at dinner, something that he still hated her for doing.

He adamantly refused to let her sleep with him that night – an occurrence that had been going on since Christmas. She told him she could just make him unlock the door and let her in, and he told her that he'd never forgive her for the rest of her life if she tried it. So some ground rules were soon set in place.

One: she wasn't allowed to tell anyone the codes that would access his mind that way. She agreed to that easily enough, she had no intention of letting someone else control him like that in the first place. That was her own vice and nooneelses.

Two: She wasn't allowed to do it in public to show of to her friends. She agreed to that one easily enough as well. It wasn't something that she thought was funny or wanted to take advantage of.

Three: She wasn't allowed to make him make a fool out of himself for no reason whatsoever. She sighed but agreed to that as well, she didn't want him to get mad at her and hate her – something that he was getting close to doing whenever she hacked into him.

He hated that she could do it and it made him feel like a tool to be moved around at her whim. She agreed to stop doing it and only use it while he was in the server, and he moved on with that detail in mind. He still practiced with it though whenever he had a chance.

It started off small, but soon the LXCom started being able to make telephone calls out to private numbers. Imagine Kai's surprise when he received a call from the system at three in the morning to his brother telling him just how weird it was to think about making a phone call and having it happen.

The brain tickle seemed to go away with time. The more he used it, the more he got used to the feeling, and the easier it was to use without feeling so strange. Still, the system itself was an odd one and he was careful about using it. He didn't want to think about what would happen if it contracted a computer virus...with it lodged in his brain he didn't want to imagine what type of damage could occur if it short circuited.

Every so often the two would travel to Zurich and meet up with Korg. It was always an exciting time because they could see someone they loved after so long, and the old computer whiz was always a breath of fresh air to be around. The man would treat them for lunch while they went over various plans and discussions about what was happening in their town.

After a while, they even called up Christopher who happened to be able to travel to Zurich in order to meet up with them. They gave him the plans and they discussed the various mission parameters that they'd gone over. Christopher was, to say the least, impressed. The first time they'd met he'd been given a huge amount of flak and it was clear that they hadn't forgiven him for drugging Luka at the ISA all those months ago.

They'd met up in a cafe, and he had been sitting next to Korg when the two had walked in. At first they hadn't even intended to meet up with the man, but the man had followed Korg to Zurich and had insisted on talking to him about something or other despite the fact that the man continually tried to ditch him.

"Look, I really do have someone I'm trying to meet with, you need to go." The man tried as he held his coffee in his hands.

"This won't take long I'm sure your guest won't mind-"

"Actually we do." Tala hissed lowly into his ear, causing the man to yelp and spin around to stare at him.

"What's Miss. Chris doing here?" Anna asked as she looked at her father, giving him a kiss on the cheek and sitting by his side. It meant that the redhead was sitting at the BBASS Officer's right and the teen glowered at the girl to show he wasn't pleased with it.

"He insisted on going over some paperwork. Believe me it wasn't my idea." Korg replied icily as he fiddled with his glasses.

"I didn't realize that these were your guests..." The officer murmured in awe as he stared at the two. "I can't believe it...you two are alright? How have you been? _Where _have you been?"

"None of your business to all of the above. I think it's time for you to leave Miss." The man glowered at the nickname as Tala hissed rudely towards him.

"No, now that I'm here you two are going to be coming back-"

"You and what army is going to bring us back? We've got jobs and a life outside of your web of lies and you need to back off before you piss me off. I already don't like you for that shot you gave me, don't give me another reason to punch you in the face." The boy growled.

"Well you seem to be back to your not so friendly self." Christopher hissed, his eyes burrowing into the teen. "Snarky and impolite, just like you've always been. I guess the Swiss air has been good for you hmm?"

"Wouldn't know, we just got here." He was glaring at the man with open dislike, but Anna told him to be hush.

"Since you're here we might as well give you our research so father doesn't have to do it later." She told him calmly, though it was clear that she didn't want to deal with the man either.

And there it was. From that point onwards they met with both of the two agents whenever they met up in Zurich. They never told the man where they were living, and they never told him anything other then what was important to the case, but they knew that one day soon he'd find out and they would just have to deal with it from there.

Korg though was a true pleasure to be around. He gave them little knick knacks and trinkets whenever they arrived. A few items of jewelry for Anna, and just because he seemed so awkward as to what to get for Luka he got him socks. It was rather entertaining when Anna opened up a pretty little necklace that had a computer mouse as it's charm (which she ooed and ahed over like a right ol' computer geek) to turn to see Tala staring at the wool socks that were one size fits all.

He thanked the old man though, and he meant it too...one always needed a sturdy pair of socks these days...never could get enough.

Of course it soon turned into a delivery system of sorts because once the teen found a strip of condoms in one sock and he was so horribly embarrassed that he called the man back (while Anna was off hailing a cab) and asked him what he thought they were doing in Italy. The man told him with a flushed face that he really didn't want to know but at least now he was assured they had the appropriate protection.

"You're supposed to be telling me to keep my hands off your daughter not encouraging me!" He howled as he himself blushed furiously.

"Well how am I going to do that when I don't even know where you live?!" He responded, although it was clear that the introvert was near mental melt down at this point.

The two wisely never brought it up again, but every time Tala got his socks in the future he always checked to see if there was something in them. Thankfully the man seemed to have blown his gasket on the first offering and he gave up from there on out.

Tala and Damion went out to lunch frequently as well. They laughed and talked about random things, and Tala even told the man about Korg's peace offering. The man hooted with laughter and then nudged his arm like old men do and asked him if he'd used the package yet.

The redhead groaned and nodded.

"Well, come on son tell me!" The man laughed. "It was your first go at it right?"

"It didn't work out quite like I planned." The teen muttered as he put his head in his arms.

"What do you mean? Could you...you know...get it...up?" Suddenly very awkward about the teen's exploits the man bit his lip.

"No no, that wasn't a problem at all! God I'm not an old fart like you!" The redhead yelped at the suggestion.

"Hey now, no need to be cruel. I'll have you know that I-"

"Anyway." He did not want to hear what the sixty year old man had to say about his potency. "I wanted it to be real romantic for us...you know, cause it's our first time and all."

"Go on."

"Well...I took her out to the beach. Thinking it'd be real pretty there during the sunset and such. It was cold and all, but I thought I could warm us up...we made a fire and everything...it was nice..."

"Alright...go on..." The man seemed to know where this was going but he bit his lip as the teen flushed awkwardly.

"Well, I didn't factor in that the sand was going to get all over us, and when it came time to actually...well..it was like sandpaper rubbing all over you, it hurt so bad!" The boy groaned as he put his hands on his face. "We got back and she wouldn't talk to me for the rest of the night! She even slept in her own room!" Fratello was laughing so hard it was pathetic, and the redhead could only sit there in mortified agony as he stared the man who was fast becoming his father figure.

"Oh son, you need to think about that kind of thing in advance. Have you made it up to her?"

"Yeah, I took her out to dinner at Guido's and then we did it proper at home. No sand this time."

"So how was your first time?" He asked waggling his brows.

"Awkward...but so good." The redhead was grinning. "Still weird that her _father _gave me the stuff though."

"Yeah, well at least he's gratified in knowing you're doing it safe."

"Yeah, I am _not _ready to be a father now on top of everything."

"So everything else is going well?"

"Yeah, I guess I really did need that punch in the face last December. I feel a lot better to be honest."

"Your brother knows you well."

"I'll say he does." He was playing with his locket absent mindedly.

The play was starting soon. They'd been fitted for their clothes, the set had been constructed and they knew all their lines and songs. Tala and Anna found themselves spending more and more time in the server. They were working tirelessly and they were getting more and more results the more time and effort they put into it.

Their favorite song by far oddly enough was Little Fall of Rain which was the song that Anna died in. Perhaps it was because for so long it expressed the dearest and deepest emotions of Tala's heart while also echoing Anna's faithful love for him.

They'd stunned their coworkers when they'd preformed it for them, the two of them singing so passionately and soulfully that no one could deny the brilliance of their performance.

"Took the letter like you said, I met her father at the door. He said﻿ he would give it....I don't think I can stand anymore." Anna's voice was light and lofty as she reached and touched her dearest one's face. He looked at her with such soulful eyes. Eyes that betrayed his true emotion for this girl of his.

"Eponine what's wrong, I feel there's something wet upon your hair. Eponine you're hurt..." he looked at his hands and stared at the blood. At first, when the idea had been suggested to him he'd gone pale with fright. He hadn't wanted to do it. The idea of seeing blood, even if it was fake, on his girl again and thinking it was his fault was too much for him to bear. Yet Damion had told him that this too was another step that he needed to take...and slowly he'd seen how wise the words were. Now he didn't have nightmares of his girl bleeding by his hands, now he only saw stage make up and ketchup. "You need some help...oh God it's everywhere."

"Don't you fret, M'sieur Marius, I don't feel any pain." It was hard to believe that not too long ago such words would put the teen to tears. Thinking that it had been his fault for nearly killing her for so long had worn at his soul, and yet now he held her in his arms as they sang her farewell to the stage and he held no bitterness in his heart. "A little fall of rain...Can hardly hurt me now. You're here, that's all I need to know. And you will keep me safe..." And he would, for the rest of his life he would never let anything harm his girl. "And you will keep me close, and rain will make the flowers grow."

"But you will live, 'Ponine - dear God above, If I could heal your wounds with words of love." He would nestle her hair and breathe her scent in, filling his body with the intoxication of her smell which had an effect on his mind.

"Just hold me now, and let it be. Shelter me, comfort me.."

"You would live a hundred years, If I could show you how, I won't desert you now..."

"The rain can't hurt me now, This rain will wash away what's past..." At first, images of her falling over the side of the pier into the water below had terrified him. He'd had nightmares of her being washed away never to wake up again. "And you will keep me safe..." Now he held no such fears. "And you will keep me close..." Now he felt completely and totally at ease. "I'll sleep in your embrace at last." He had no fears of her being away from him. He had no fears of her being hurt by him. He had only love in his heart for his girl. His dearest girl. "The rain that brings you here, is Heaven-blessed! The skies begin to clear and I'm at rest. A breath away from where you are I've come home from so far...So don't you fret, M'sieur Marius...I don't feel any pain a little fall of rain, can hardly hurt me now..."

Meanwhile he would sing to her so gently and so softly the words that he'd longed to say to her on that night. The words that he would have killed to have said to her instead of shooting her. He longed to say the gentle and sweet words that Marius was saying to his dearest one. Only Anna wasn't dying. She didn't die and she wasn't going to.

"Hush-a-bye, dear Eponine, you won't feel any pain. A little fall of rain...can hardly hurt you now. I'm here" He sang the words so sweetly in her ear and yet loud enough for all the play house to listen too. He was gentle and caring, and all the emotions he'd felt before, of feeling like he'd caused her death and yet knowing that he was overcoming it every day she was alive, were welled up inside. At first this song terrified him, now it was his accomplishment. His life which was emmulated in this song was now different because he didn't let it captivate him. He'd moved on without it and he was living and breathing and so was shee.

"That's all I need to know."

"I will stay with you..." He vowed each time he sang.

"And you will keep me safe..and you will keep me close..." She reached up once more to cup his face in her hands.

"Till you are sleeping..."

"And rain..."

"And rain..."

"Will make the flowers..." They sang this together, their voices syncing as one, his hands holding her with such tender affection that it was clear that she was someone loved and special in his heart. Yet as she let her eyes flutter closed and her head loll back, he held her all the closer as though cradeling a sleeping babe. "Grow..." He finished softly, his voice full of the emotion of one who was losing the one they cared of. He let himself drown in the grief for that small moment of how he felt before. Then he saved himself from it, the emotion pulling itself out and making him able to move on breathlessly. He placed a kiss on her lips simply out of reflex, and as the song came to a close, their audience cried out great shouts of joy and shouted out how well they thought they did.

Opening night was fast approaching, and the kids couldn't feel more ready. With everything that had happened over the past five months, they honestly felt rejuvenated. Tala was back on his feet and he hit the ground running. He was on his way to greatness and everyone could see it.

Fratello came by one night and they were talking and having a jolly good time when he brought up Tala's past about being a world champion. The teen blinked, not sure what to say. He really hadn't paid much attention to his time in the ring and so it hadn't bothered him at all.

"Well...I was for two years. This year coming up would've been my third." He replied sheepishly, surprised at how little he thought of the accomplishment.

"Well what's this bey-thing all about? Tell me about it?"

"It's called Beyblade." He told the man simply, running a hand through his hair as he thought. "Basically there are two opponents who stand across each other from a dish which was originally shaped like a bowl but now they've gotten fancy and have huge scaled down versions of parks and buildings and things to cause problems for everyone. The less experienced bladers can't maneuver them very well so it's only used for tournament matches and even then it's used in championship matches more then anything else."

"But how do you move the blades where you want it to? Won't they just...spin where they spin?"

"Well it may seem like that, but beyblading's actually an acute science. There's a magnetic force in each beyblade that attracts the opponent blade to it. Similarly there is a force in the launcher as well. These magnets are extremely sensitive and react to body heat. When the blader launches their blade, the magnets in the launcher draw the blade to go where you want it to go based off of the way you're holding it and the way you're positioned. Thrusting your hand forward would make it go forward and things of that nature. That's all the elementary level though.

"When you get into the big leagues launcher knowledge is important of course, but what's more important is the control over the bit beast and then the blade will almost move on its own." Before the man could ask the teen continued, knowing where he'd gotten confused. "A bit beast...is a sacred spirit that's been trapped inside the blade itself. Only the more advanced players actually have them and if you think about it they're pretty rare. I know of only about a hundred true bitbeasts that were not created in a lab. Every kid at the abbey has their own once they reach tournament age, some even before then, like my team and I all had ours when we first got there almost. I've had mine since I was a toddler."

"You said made in a lab, so these spirits can be created?"

"Extracted would be a better word for it. My bit beast came from a wolf named Luna from a zoo that my biological mother worked at. When I was a baby Boris came for my mother and me and shot up the zoo. I don't know how it happened really but for the next few months I ended up being cared for by that wolf. Sure I wasn't in the best health when I got back to society, I mean, what normal toddler is in good health after spending months in the wilds? Luna, I called her Waw-oo at the time because of the sound she made, was captured and put into a holding tank and slowly her spirit started to be extracted. Quite some time later I happened to find her and when I broke her out of it my blade ended up getting her spirit trapped into it. She's been with me ever since." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the silver and blue beyblade that he always kept with him.

It was the one thing he'd never let go of in all of the mayhem. Wolborg went everywhere with him. There were no exceptions. The blade was never out of his pocket or his mind. He polished it and he took it apart and put it back together every so often just to make sure he could still do it.

He showed the man the blade and Fratello stared at it in wonder. Anna wasn't to far away washing dishes as the two talked and she glanced back when the blade was removed. It was a true show of faith that Tala had shown the man and told him all of that. It just went to show how close the two had gotten over the months. The blade was Tala's most important possession. Even more important then the locket his grandfather had given him. To him, there was nothing he owned more valuable then that blade, and the spirit trapped within it.

"So my dear boy you wouldn't happen to have any videos to show me about your exploits would you?" The man asked as he smiled at him fondly.

"Videos?" The boy repeated not quite sure how to respond. They didn't exactly pack anything when they left Russia, and in all honesty he'd been such a mess back then that if Anna hadn't been there making sure he ate he probably wouldn't have remembered to do that either. There wasn't any pit stop for necessities let alone home videos.

"I've got some." Anna announced as she turned around to look at them. Tala blinked up at her.

"How on Earth-"

"They're on my computer for that last project that I was assigned." She told him cryptically. "Half my hard drive is practically assigned to cataloging your lives so I have to have your tournament matches." She told him with a grin. "I'll go load some up and jerry-rig it onto the TV."

So they watched the matches, every time one of his friends started their bout he would excitedly tell the man all about them. Bryan he described as his best friend next to Kai. He'd said that all of the Demolition Boys were his dearest friends, but only Bryan could he really call his best friend of the three. Kai was always first in his mind, but that was something else entirely. Family always came first. Bryan and he, however, spent more time together then the other two did. Spencer would come next and Ian always was just kind of there.

That did not meant that Tala didn't consider Spencer and Ian his best friends as well, but with Bryan he connected with better and they were always each others seconds whenever it came to things. Spencer, he described, as being the parent figure who watched over them whenever they needed someone there to do so. He was the most mature out of all of them and though he was silent and quiet he was more then willing to indulge them, he knew that if he didn't reign them in at times then there would be no one who would. Ian was kind of the tag along that really didn't have much of a problem at the Abbey.

Boris had broken his legs when he was young and he'd never really gotten any taller since then, but other then that he had no true qualms with the place. In all honesty, even Tala admitted that if they hadn't joined the ISA he probably wouldn't have done so. Ian was simply that guy who accepted everything and didn't think much about whatever was happening around him. It wasn't his way.

Opening night at the theater was an exciting time. The actors and actresses gathered together and chattered away with excitement in their voices. They all couldn't wait to start out and preform. They were all looking forward to the show. Even the naturally shy seeming Luka was getting thrilled from the whole deal.

With Anna at his side, he and Fratello talked about the play and their lines, and they ran over everything over and over again to make sure they all got everything perfectly. They didn't have to worry all that much, they'd nailed their preformances the last four dress rehearsals in a row.

"Are you ready?" Fratello asked gently as he placed a hand on the teen's shoulder.

"Yep, go give em a show Jean." He commanded with a bright smile that lit up the room. The man nodded.

"You too Marius, Eponine." He replied looking at the couple. They nodded brightly and he went onto the stage. The play had begun.

_Look down, look down  
Don't look 'em in the eye  
Look down, look down,  
You're here until you die  
_

"You think the others would like this?" Anna whispered quietly as she looked at the scene. They had to be quiet, but she was talking so softly no one would here. Back at home their friends were in the Abbey in the same prison like state that this was. No love, no caring. Nothing. She had wondered as he had if they too would notice the similarities between this play and their lives.

_The sun is strong  
It's hot as hell below  
_

They would be working harder and harder without any sense of breaks or freedom. They would be forcing themselves to the brink of perfection under the lash of Balkov's twisted games. They would be forcing themselves to work as slaves for his law.

_Look down, look down,  
There's twenty years to go  
_

There wouldn't be any end to it, it would just keep on going. When they turned twenty, as Mikhail had, they would become guards and their lives would be that of giving back the pain they felt. It would be justice, in a twisted sense of the word. Justice to give back the pain they felt. That would be what was expected of them.

_I've done no wrong!  
Sweet Jesus, hear my prayer!  
_

Oddly enough, religion was something that the children of the Abbey truly had faith in. It was unusual to find such a strong concentration of religious people in Russia of all places. Communism had forsaken most religions, but for some reason it had struck the children at the Abbey hard. Every one of them prayed. Even Tala. He himself could recall the many Sundays as a child he would go to church with his parents, and since it was...an Abbey...they had a church there that many of the students would go to. It was one of the few things that they had as a treasure at the Abbey. Being Catholic was something that they could all hold on to.

_Look down look down,  
Sweet Jesus doesn't care_

At the end of the day, they all felt that too. They all felt that sometimes God wasn't listening to their prayers. They all thought they were being cursed. Though suddenly, in the darkness of that theater, in the darkness of his life...Tala realized that God had been listening. He had made his life hell, but he had led him on the path to save everyone.

His friends and he were going to free everyone. They were going to march into that Abbey and destroy it. Tala felt his heart freeze. Not him...he was in Italy. He wasn't in Russia. He'd left. He'd been a Judus in the dark, betraying them. Closing his eyes he made his resolve. Even though it was opening night, he knew that he was going to be leaving before closing night. He knew that he was going to go back home. He had something he had to do.

_I know she'll wait,  
I know that she'll be true!  
_

And she would. Anna would wait for him if he left and went back to the Abbey. Anna would wait and she would be ready for him when he came back. Just like how Adeline always waited for Kai, Anna would wait for him. He was ready and he was prepared to go. He bit his lip. He had no way to get back though...he couldn't just show up.

_Look down, look down,  
They've all forgotten you  
_

He bit his lip and looked around. Would they forget? Could they forgive? If he and Anna left, these people wouldn't have two of their stars. It would alright, they could use the understudies...but they would see him again. On the TV. They would see him attacking and destroying his opponents. They would see him be cold and hateful. Would they forget about who he was now? Would they forgive him for what he'd become?

_When I get free ya won't see me  
Here for dust!  
_

He had never really wanted to go back to the Abbey, he didn't miss it. What he missed were his friends who were still inside. When everything was over, he'd never go back again. He'd destroy it. He knew that it would only take a fire that started in the south wing and slowly the building would burn. Voltaire could destroy it and turn it into a parking lot. All the unmarked graves could be marked and the children of the Abbey could get closure.

_Look down, look down  
Don't look 'em in the eye  
_

He couldn't look at these people around him anymore. Not while he was harboring dark thoughts of leaving the night everything started. He couldn't bring himself to find peace. Anna's words kept playing in his head. Would they, his friends, notice the similarities? Would they want to see the show? He wanted to show it to them. It would still be running by the time the world championships was over. They would be able to see it. He wondered if by that point he'd be able to walk in and reclaim his part. He doubted it.

_How long, oh Lord  
Before you let me die?  
_

He wouldn't die though. He was going to be a saviour. He was going to be a messiah. He was going to walk into that Abbey and command the room. In his pocket he could feel Wolborg glowing as it felt his pleas. He wanted to see Boris put to rest. He wanted to see the Abbey destroyed. He wanted to save everyone. Now that he'd centered himself, now that he was back on his feet again, it was time to get moving. It was time to do what he needed to do. It was time to look to the future.

_Look down, look down,  
You'll always be a slave  
Look down, look down,  
You're standing in your grave  
_

Staying in Italy was a danger. Anna's family could find them at any moment. Christopher already knew where they were, he was certain he'd heard the man say that even Michaels knew at this point. At the moment they were on borrowed time. They didn't have long. Soon they'd be found. It would be better to turn themselves over and hand their lives to the fates then it would be to stick around and wait for disaster.

_Now bring me prisoner 24601  
Your time is up  
And your parole's begun  
You know what that means.  
_

Fratello had gotten up and now he was standing before a man named Fernando who was playing the part of Javert. They were standing across from each other and they were singing their lines, and Tala was drawn from his musing as he watched the scene with interest. _Yes, it means I'm free._

_No!  
It means you get  
Your yellow ticket-of-leave  
You are a thief  
_

He wondered if that was true. If you steal something once did that make you a thief for life? Were you dammed to be that label for all eternity. Was he dammed to be called a murderer for the crimes he committed via orders in the Abbey?

_I stole a loaf of bread. _Fratello argued his point soundly.

_You robbed a house. _Fernando sang back. _  
_  
_I broke a window pane.  
My sister's child was close to death  
And we were starving. _Fratello growled back_  
_

He knew what it was to starve. He knew what it was to feel hunger. He had spent many nights sitting in the dark of the Abbey as he fought the bouts of hunger that were overcoming his hurting body. He recalled holding his stomach his mouth watering as the thought of just one bite of bland food that was nothing compared to the food he'd eaten away from Russia.

_You will starve again  
Unless you learn the meaning of the law.  
_

He knew the meaning of the law just fine, but it wasn't something that was helping him out any. He was being forced to toe the line. He had a licence to kill because he worked with the ISA, but he didn't have anything that was helping him. He and all his friends had been forced through so much hell because he was forced to answer to the law that was concerning where he lived as a student under the Abbey's guardianship.

_I know the meaning of those 19 years  
A slave of the law  
_

Sixteen years of going through that hell had been enough to make anyone cynical. He knew more then anyone else how much the law that was constricting him. Boris's will was law. Anything he says goes. He had been a slave of that law his entire life. He knew how constricting it was.

_Five years for what you did  
The rest because you tried to run  
Yes, 24601._

He wondered if he deserved his fate. If he deserved it because who he was born too...His parents...his biological parents...he wondered if they ever wanted him truly. He wondered what went wrong. He wondered what had happened. He wondered why they wanted him. He had run now...he had run away. Would things be worse for him when he returned? Would he be scared and hurt again? He knew he would. He had run away, and he had experienced true freedom. This was a life he was willing to fight for. This was a life he was willing to save.

He wanted to save these peoples lives.

_My name is Jean Valjean  
_

Luka Tala _Valkov _Ivanov. He told himself. He was Luka Tala Valkov Ivanov. The son of a murderer and the child of an architect. He was a killer, and he was a painter. He was a world champion beyblader, and he was an actor. He was a willing slave, he was a saviour. He was a complex person who lived a complex life. A life that he was realizing he needed to come to grips with soon. Nine months...there were only nine months left.

_And I am Javert  
Do not forget my name!  
Do not forget me,  
24601.  
_

Boris Balkov was going to come after him again. He was going to come after him and he was going to want him. If Kai prostituted himself to the man and sold his soul for the ISA's purposes, if he sold himself to run the BDS so the ISA could get the information he needed, then that boy would be broken just like Tala was. Boris needed either him or Kai. That was the deal. That was how it was going to go. Well it wasn't going to be Kai. Kai already had a hard enough time dealing with the server...Tala wouldn't let it be Kai.

_Look down, look down  
You'll always be a slave  
Look down, look down  
You're standing in your grave._

"Yeah. I think they would like it." Tala answered her back, his eyes darkened. He frowned when she looked at his face.

"Luka?" She whispered. He didn't answer her. He left the side of the stage, and rested his head into his hands and thought long and hard to himself. He thought for a long while and while he thought he prayed. When it was time for him to go on, he delivered his performance with ease and a practiced grace. He was completely comfortable and at ease standing there before everyone.

Then it came time for his solo. His solo piece which suddenly seemed so daunting and so terrifying he didn't know what to do. As he stood there on the stage and the music came up, he suddenly was assailed with images of his friends. Emotion raced through his body as he sang, and he found himself awash with memories and fantasies of things yet to come.

_There's a grief that can't be spoken.  
There's a pain goes on and on._

In his mind he could see Kai in the hospital screaming at his grandfather and telling him never to call him by his true name again. He could see Bryan's horrified face as he was being dragged off to the three. He could see Spencer cradling a broken arm as he tried to show a brave face for his younger friends. He could see Ian staring in dumb silence at his broken legs that would never heal and never let him grow again.

_Empty chairs at empty tables  
Now my friends are dead and gone.  
_

And now he could see them all dead. Dead because that was what was coming. That was what their fate was if none of this worked. If their plan failed. Boris would kill them. He would kill them all.

_Here they talked of revolution.  
Here it was they lit the flame._

They'd all joined the ISA and they'd all been ready to pound at Balkov's door and throw him into jail. They'd all been ready to knock him over and revolutionize the world. They were going to save those five hundred students of Balkov Abbey and they were going to save the world from his trecherous plans.

_Here they sang about `tomorrow'  
And tomorrow never came._

But what of the risk? What of the very real risk that was assosiated to it? How long before Michaels very real worry that Boris would find out about them come true? How long until he hunted them down and murdered them like dogs? How long before his friends found themselves in the unmarked graves behind the Abbey?

_From the table in the corner  
They could see a world reborn_

They all could imagine freedom and releif from that dark place. They could all imagine the clear blue skies that Tala now could honestly say he'd experienced. They all could imagine what it was like on the other side of that gate. They could imagine it, and they could taste it, but they'd never truly experienced it. Only Kai and now Luka and Anna truly had experienced it...

_And they rose with voices ringing  
I can hear them now!_

Bryan had always said Boris was going to get his in the end. Spencer had always encouraged them when things seemed to fail. Ian had always agreed with what they were doing and was there for them. They'd all been there, and he'd left. He like the coward had left.

_The very words that they had sung  
Became their last communion_

How long would it be? Did they have time to waste? Did they have time to wait? No...they really didn't. They were coming down to crunch time. Only nine more months and the World Championship was coming. Kai would be going back to the Abbey if he didn't, he knew that now. If he didn't return, Kai would do it for him.

_On the lonely barricade at dawn._

They wouldn't be able to run. They would be shot down like animals. They would dissapear into the mud. Their belongings would be sorted out and given to the other students like dogs eating dogs. There would be nothing left. The hands of time would keep turning, never stoping. Turning, turning, turning through the years... 

_Oh my friends, my friends forgive me_

He had lef them like the coward he was. He had left them all behind to rot and to die. He hadn't thought of them, he'd thought only of himself as he'd ran like a coward, like a cur with his tail between his legs. He had run and he'd left them for dead.

_That I live and you are gone.  
There's a grief that can't be spoken.  
There's a pain goes on and on.  
_

He felt his heart shattering, he felt his mind splitting. The faces of his dearest friends and brothers all in the Abbey their bodies chained to a wall as Boris beat them and eventually killed them for betraying him was all he could see.

_Phantom faces at the window.  
Phantom shadows on the floor._

Bryan wouldn't be there to banter with anymore. Spencer wouldn't be there to know everything. Ian wouldn't be there to tease. Kai wouldn't be there to talk to and to listen to. None of them would be there at all. He'd left them, and he'd forsaken them. He'd left them all.

_Empty chairs at empty tables  
Where my friends will meet no more.  
_

He could imagine the many Christmases they'd had at Voltaire's great table. That one Christmas where Anna had found out she was getting adopted. They'd all laughed and played and rough housed. They'd all had so much fun. That would never happen again.

_Oh my friends, my friends, don't ask me  
What your sacrifice was for_

He knew, he knew what they would sacrifice themselves for. He knew, and he knew it was right. It was the right cause. It was the right reason. It was true and just. He knew what they were fighting for, and he knew the truth. This world was worth fighting for. When he'd first joined he hadn't really cared, it had been out of spite. Now though...now he'd tasted the world. Now he knew he wanted to save it.

_Empty chairs at empty tables  
Where my friends will sing no more. _

He stopped his song and the lights faded slightly. He stepped off the stage and everyone told him that it was the best they'd ever heard it. They all looked shocked. He didn't pay them any mind. He walked straight up to Anna who stared at him in confusion.

"Luka?" She asked as she looked at the open grief on his face.

"We need to go back." He told her softly. She froze.

"What?"

"Not now...maybe not for a little while...but we need to get ready...it's time to go home." He told her. He met her eyes. She nodded slowly. He was right. It was time to go back. God save their souls. _  
_


	7. I Dreamed A Dream BringHim Home

**Windstar: **Sorry for the late update, but this is the second to last chapter. Next week will be the finale! That means that starting in the first week of November Lies and Deceit will be put out. I hope to see you all there, I really have just fallen in love with the story line. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: See First Chapter.

**Chapter Six: **

"So...this is it huh?" Luka asked as he stared at the computer. The server was finished. It was blue printed, it was built, it was test driven, it was completely finished. No kinks, no twitches nothing. It was a perfect copy and a perfect simulation. If it was driven with the intents and purposes to destroy the computer systems of the world, it would do it with ease.

"Yeah...you want to send Kai the missive?" Anna asked as she looked at him. He nodded and closed his eyes, imagining the words that he needed to send.

_To: F.T. K+I, _

_Subject: BDS_

_BD comp. BBA Off. Hugh. Obt file – ._

Black Dranzer Server Two was completed. BBA Officer Hughes (Christopher) would be obtaining the file and information soon. Be safe. It was what needed to be said. Now they just had to wait.

Wait and figure out what to do next. Every day, three times a day, they were doing the play. It was taking up a lot of time, but on their days off they found themselves waiting. Waiting and trying to figure out what to do next. They worked out plans and systems. They went through files and paperwork. They needed to find a safe way for Tala to get back into the Abbey. A way where he wasn't going to be harmed.

_I dreamed a dream in time gone by  
When hope was high  
And life worth living_

They waited anxiously for the reply. They wanted to know what Kai had to say about everything and they wanted to know where they should go from there. With their lives in a twist, they knew that they'd have to get things done. They needed to go back before anyone else got hurt or before anyone died.

_I dreamed that love would never die  
I dreamed that God would be forgiving_

They had abandoned Russia all that time ago because they needed to do what they needed to do. Now Tala was back on his feet and he was ready to return home. He was ready to face the bastard that was ruining the lives of five hundred boys in that God forsaken Abbey.

_Then I was young and unafraid  
And dreams were made and used and wasted  
There was no ransom to be paid  
No song unsung, no wine untasted  
_

Time was running by on them. They didn't have time to wait. They needed to go. They needed to go now. There was a buzz in his head while they were going food shopping, and Tala grabbed Anna's hand to stop her. She looked up at him in confusion, and he read to her what the translated missive he'd received said.

"To Luka, Anna, and Korg, reply to Black Dranzer Server. Understood, BBA Officer Dickenson has been contacted and the files have been transmitted. Talked with Personal Freedom Officer Tactical Leader Michaels, package sent and received, be safe. Kai." He looked at Anna and she nodded. It was time to get the ball rolling. Kai had done his job well, he'd gotten in touch with all the right people and informed them of their progress and now it was time to continue.

"Send the next message." She told him. It was time to get the ball rolling. Let gravity do the rest.

"To Freedom Tactician Kai, subject Home, see you at headquarters at 1200 in two weeks." He translated it into the coded form and he sent it to his brother. Then he looked at Anna. Gravity was going to be hitting them hard.

_But the tigers come at night  
With their voices soft as thunder  
_

It didn't take long for Kai to respond. He wrote back that he understood and that everything was ago. The two then returned home, and started to pack. They were going to keep the house the way it was. All they really needed to do was to make sure that the server was safe and secure on the transit to Russia.

It would take them two weeks to find all the things they needed to do in order to make sure the server arrived safely, then they would transport everything to Russia and once there they would work with Michaels on how to get Tala back inside the Abbey. Worst come to worst he stayed outside and worked as a Field Tactician like Kai outside of the Abbey until the time came for their downfall. Perhaps he'd even go down to Japan and help Kai with the team he was pulling together. Although last they'd heard Kai was in China now, his team in the Asian tournament.

It had been seven months since they'd left and Kai had gotten his _dream team _put together. Now it was being put to the test. Tala had no doubts that everything would be fine, he knew that Kai wouldn't allow the team to be too far under par. Still though, he had his doubts and his reservations. He needed to make sure everything was going to go well. If he couldn't get into the Abbey, he'd go to wherever Kai was and help out there.

_As they tear your hope apart  
And they turn your dream to shame_

The next thing they received was not from Kai though, nor was it from Korg who they were meeting in Zurich first with the server before heading up to Russia. It wasn't from them...perhaps if it had been, the pain of that annoyingly sunny day wouldn't have been as bad. It was from Christopher.

To: LA, F.T. K+I

Re: ABORT

ABORT hm. K. gone. Info. To send. Rpt. ABORT. Sty Itly.

Tala recited the missive without really absorbing the information, but then he paused. Abort coming home...Korg is gone...dead...information to send...repeat...abort...stay in Italy. He felt his breath catch in his throat as he stared at Anna. She had a hand on her face. She looked like she was about to break down.

"Anna?" He whispered in dumb shock. He felt his hands shaking as he reached out to her. She shook her head. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. She couldn't accept it either. Her father was dead. Something had happened...something had happened and Korg had been killed. 

_He slept a summer by my side  
He filled my days with endless wonder_

Their glorious seven months of freedom and healing. Tala's heart had been healed beautifully, he was back to his old self and better. He had adopted a caring gentle side that could be rivaled. He was so kind and so compassionate that it was a wonderful last few months.

The play had been a God send. They had done so well in it and they'd made so many good friends. Fratello had become a father figure to Tala, one that he'd desperately needed. Giana was a lovely woman who was always looking after their best interests.

Tala and Anna had discovered a passion for the arts. Their home was now filled with various drawings and doodles that Tala had done when he'd been bored. Around his neck was the locket that this grandfather had given him, and around Anna's finger was a ring that he'd given her for their anniversary which had passed not too long ago.

It was simple white gold with a moon stone on it. It wasn't anything expensive but it was pretty to look at and it was something she treasured. The seven months of freedom away from all the pain and suffering had come to a crashing end. It had been destroyed. Everything came to a screeching halt. There was nothing left. There was nothing left at all. Tears started to fall down Anna's face.

Her father was gone.

_  
He took my childhood in his stride  
But he was gone when autumn came  
_

He was gone and there was nothing she could do about it. Something had happened. Something horrible had happened. There was nothing left anymore. He was gone. He had left, he was no longer apart of this world. She collapsed in Tala's arms and he held her to his chest, his heart breaking painfully as he held her too him.

They were too late, something had come to find them. They had waited to long and now one of their own was dead. They were lost in the dark once more, the painful agony of knowing that they could have done something. There was nothing left. There was nothing left at all. They rocked back and forth on the floor of their kitchen, crying and feeling intense waves of misery.

The phone rang on and on, but they didn't answer it, they didn't leave. They did manage to call Giana to tell her to call their understudies, they wouldn't be making it to the performance that night. There wasn't a chance in hell that they'd be able to sing after all that.

_  
And still I dream he'll come to me  
That we will live the years together_

They had had so many dreams, that Korg would be able to see them grow up, that he'd be able to see his work be put to good use. That he would be able to see them free at last from the claws of the Abbey. They had so many memories and so many dreams and it was all meaningless and broken now. Anna cried harder and harder with each passing moment as she gripped onto Tala's body. Her tears stained his shirt and he held her to him and he cried with her. There would be no more awkward sock offerings. There would be no more informative chats online. There would be nothing.

Korg was dead, and there was nothing they could do about it.

_  
But there are dreams that cannot be  
And there are storms we cannot weather  
_

"Luka, answer me." Kai's voice filtered through his head and he reeled back slightly from shock, but he realized what had happened, Kai had gotten into his LXCom and had forced him to listen to him. He should have felt angered by the interference, but he couldn't. He couldn't do it. He needed his brother here with him.

"It's Kai." He whispered, and Anna looked up at him with a tear streaked face. "What?" He asked the voice in his head, and the teen responded quickly.

"I'm coming to Italy. I'm catching the next flight out." The words appeared in his mind, and he realized that what he had originally thought was a phone hacking was really his mind substituting his texting for his voice. He knew who it was and so it had translated automatically to his memory of his brother's voice. He answered back in kind.

"Aren't you in China with your team?" he wanted to know what the hell Kai thought was going to change if he showed up randomly.

"I am, but we're done with the tournament and are heading home for a break. I've got time now and I'm going to Italy. We're going to figure this out."

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch that killed him Kai." He announced, and when he looked at Anna's face he knew she felt the same.

"I know, and I'll help. Just wait for me." The teen's voice was soft, or perhaps that's just how he imagined his brother's voice would sound, but he nodded to himself anyway.

"Always." He said, and as he sat there on the floor with Anna in his arms and silence in his head, he knew that their dreams were slipping away. Their lives were going to change for the worst before they got better. He knew that instinctively.

_I had a dream my life would be  
So different from this hell I'm living_

He wished things had turned out differently. He wished he could honestly say that everything was going well and that there were no problems. He wished he could hold Anna's hand wherever she went. He wished he could flaunt her through the streets of Russia, screaming to the world that she was his girl.

He wished for all of those things, but right now, he wished that Korg was alive. He wished that he was there, and he was sitting awkwardly with his socks. He wished that Anna didn't have to be thrust into a world of abandonment and misery once more. He wished that she wouldn't feel like she had no family. He was her family God damn it. He was there for her, but he wanted her to have her father back. He wanted her to have a home to go home too...one that wasn't their run away shack in Livorno Italy.

_  
So different now from what it seemed_

There was a knock at the door and a few moments later Fratello had walked in and found them huddled on the floor of the kitchen, tears still rolling down their cheeks. He took one look at them and hurried to their sides, he checked them over for any injury but then settled on looking at them intently.

"What happened? What's wrong, son?" He asked Luka who was staring at him the whole while.

What would happen now? Would Fratello be next? Would this kindly old man die next? He didn't know. He didn't want to think about the danger he'd put this man in. He didn't want to think of the pain he had forced on this man's life. He didn't want to think about any of that. His happy life was over. There would be no happy ending. There would be no father to walk Anna down the aisle, there would be no father to dance with her on her wedding night if she ever got there.

She was an orphan twice over now, and his heart was breaking for her.

"M-my father....is dead." Anna whispered at long last when Tala fell silent. "My papa is dead!" She looked up at him with huge wet brown eyes. The man felt his own heart break at the girl's distress and he quickly pulled her into his arms, and because she was latched onto Tala he too came along for the hold.

_Now life has killed the dream I dreamed._

The three stayed on the floor for another few hours, before the man finally pulled them up and placed them at the table. He went to the stove and started to heat up some milk and chocolate to give them something to fill their bodies with. He then cooked them dinner, making sure that they ate every bite of their food before he gently led them to the couch in the living room where Anna held onto Tala for dear life and the boy returned to the terribly quiet state he'd been in in the beginning of their run away state.

The terrible thing was that they didn't even know what had happened. They didn't know what was going on. They didn't know who had killed the man. They didn't know anything. They didn't know anything at all. It was horribly distressing, and they felt like their souls had been ripped from their chests.

"What are you going to do?" Fratello asked softly as he looked at the two. Tala glanced at him at long last, the misery clear on his face.

"We're going back to Russia." He answered softly.

"Why?" The man demanded, suddenly horrified. If they went back they'd be going back to that hell. They'd be going back to that world which had demanded so much of them and had broken this beautiful male child's spirit.

"We need to see this done." He said softly. "We need to see this to the end." He held Anna closer.

It had been hours by now and they weren't surprised when there was a knock on the door and then it opened before anyone got up to do so. Kai was standing there looking exhausted and jet lagged. It looked like he hadn't slept a wink since he'd heard the news. He really had gotten onto the first flight out to Italy and as he stumbled forwards he walked to them and he threw his arms around them.

He was shivering and cold and it looked like he'd run the whole way here. He looked so tired and sweat dabbed down his face. Damion wasn't all that surprised to see him there, it seemed like the teen truly cared for his family, and would do anything he could for them. Including catching the first flight out to see them during this crisis.

Anna grabbed onto him and cried harder and harder in his chest. He held her close, kissing the side of her head lovingly as he looked up at his brother. Tala would feel no jealousy over the actions of that he was certain, but he wanted to see if Tala himself was handling the news well. It didn't look like he truly was. So the teen reached out and cupped the teen's face in his hand.

"You alright brother?" He whispered as he looked at the redhead.

"No." He switched to Russian so Damion wouldn't hear the words coming from his mouth. His eyes had narrowed dangerously and there was a power welling in him that hadn't been touched in seven months. "I want this man dead." He hissed as he looked at his brother who also answered in their native tongue.

"Then it will happen."

The two were wrecks for the rest of that day and night. The fact that it had been sunny all day long did nothing to make them feel better. It only mocked the dreary mood that they were in. Even God didn't have the decency to make it rain. He made it sunny. God damn sunny. Not even partly cloudy. Forecast for the rest of the day was God damn sunny. It only made things worse. While they were grieving, everyone else was happy and laughing in the sun. it sucked majorly.

Going to Giana and telling her that they were leaving broke their hearts. She was infuriated and she was hurt. Everyone was boasting about how extraordinary her two youngest stars were and now that they were leaving it would be up to their understudies to fill very big shoes.

"You can't just leave! You have a contract!" She cried as she stared at the two who looked unabashedly straight back. They couldn't stop anything now. They couldn't stop the flow of time. They needed to leave. They needed to go back to Russia.

"We're sorry." They told her softly.

"We need to go back." Tala continued. "When we do...you might see me on TV a few times." He warned softly.

"Why on earth would that happen?" She hissed as she stared at him.

"My name isn't Luca Trapasso Signora...it's Tala Ivanov."

"T-Tala Ivanov? You're that beyblader that my kids watch on TV!" She stared in dumb awe. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"The world that I'm going back to may portray me in a bad light...and I might not appear to be very kind or considerate. I want you to know...anything I say and do is not really how I feel." He didn't know why he was saying all of this. He didn't know what the point was, but he wanted to tell her. "I really appreciate all your help in this...I really do. Thank you for everything Signora." He walked forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek before slowly starting to walk out the door.

Kai was waiting for them when they go home. Fratello and he had been talking while the two had been finishing up their dismissal from the play house. It would be sad to see them go, but Giana seemed to realize how important it was for them to leave.

They were going to leave the server in Italy, and Damion promised to stop by and look after the house while they were gone. He promised that he'd make sure everything remained clean and tidy, and they thanked him for it. They didn't know what they'd be able to do without Damion there to help them.

Anna and Kai stepped back to let Luka have his last few minutes with the man and he walked forward slowly, looking at him in quiet silence for a while. He didn't know what to say. Then he managed to get his wits about him and smiled slightly.

"You're a therapist aren't you?" He asked softly, and the man blinked in shock.

"How'd you know?" He asked lightly as he looked at the teen.

"Just how well you handled all my out bursts and the like...everyone kept alluding to it at the theater too."

"Well...I never considered you my patient Luka...always my little friend and Marius." He said kindly with a smile.

"Thank you for everything..." He said sadly, he honestly didn't want to leave...but he knew he had to. He had work to do. Then the man did something that he'd never done before. He reached out and he pulled the teen into his arms for a hug that was entirely personal and filled with paternal love and compassion. It was different from the hugs the man had given him the night before, this hug was entirely separate. It was a hug filled with the love of a parent...the kind he'd not felt since he had been a child in Niko's arms.

Luka tensed, his eyes widened in dumb shock as he stayed motionless. It had been so long since he'd felt the comfort of such an embrace. Anna was standing not to far away, her mouth open in slight shock at the sight. Not too far away Kai was watching with an impassive gaze. He didn't seem to have anything to say about the topic, and yet as he watched him there was a slight smile formed on his lips.

"Don't be afraid." The man murmured to him gently. Tears welled up in the red head's eyes as he slowly raised his arms to hug the man back. "And come home safely alright kiddo?" He nodded into Damion's chest, breathing in the smell of chalk and paint and feeling oddly comfortable. It had been so long since he'd felt such a way...since he'd felt at such peace. It was just what he needed. "I'll keep an eye on the place to make sure things are normal while you're away." He nodded again. "Come home safe _mio figlio_..." _My son._ Luka looked up, startled at the words, he met the older man's worried expression, realizing just how much the past seven months had meant to the man as well.

"I"ll come back _Jean_." He murmured. "I promise I'll come back. All of us will." He motioned towards Kai and Anna who were waiting for him at the car. The man glanced towards them and nodded stiffly. He slowly let the teen go and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"I'll watch the TV for you." He said meaningfully, and the teen sighed.

"You won't like what you see..." He warned softly, looking away. The man reached over and tipped his chin up, forcing him to meet his eyes.

"I see a young boy who wants desperately to be at peace at home...and regardless of what the media says, you will always be my Marius....and you will always be just like this when I remember you."

"Damion..."

"Now get going...you have a job to do right?" The man looked like he was struggling, but Tala nodded quietly, knowing he had to leave soon.

"I'll be back."

"I'll be waiting."

And so they left. After seven long months of healing and recuperation, the two runaways were returning home. Damion would never know that when they got to Russia, Anna died her hair blonde so that she would be different from how Boris recognized her.

He would never know that that night the two brothers embarked on a journey to track down Korg's killer. They chased him through the night, and on the rooftops where they were about to get their revenge, the man announced who he was from. The Ottilia family, coming to seek their revenge from years before. With those parting words, and a promise of judgment hanging over their heads for once more baring fangs against the family, the man leaped from the roof top and was killed on the concrete below.

Damion would never know any of this. That night though, as he stood out on the stage and he sang his songs with Angelo as his Marius, he sang one of his solos with an entirely different meaning behind it.

_God on high  
Hear my prayer_

He closed his eyes and imagined the faces of the three children he had gotten to know in those months. The two he had known each day of their stay, and the one who was always off in the shadows watching and listening as the wold spun around them.

_In my need  
You have always been there  
_

He thought about how the first night he'd seen the young teen in the sea he had just been coming home from the bar. His wife of thirty years had left him, saying she couldn't take one more moment with him. She left and he found himself alone for the first time. His brother had children and a wife and grandchildren and he was alone in the world. He had gone to the sea to drown with misery when he'd seen the boy struggling to breath as he splashed useless in the too deep water.

_He is young  
He's afraid_

He thought about how he had saved that boy's life that night and how he had found himself drawn to the boy and his girlfriend who were runaways from Russia. He found himself recalling the pure fear in his eyes as he talked about what happened to him. He thought about all of that. At sixteen years old that boy had more misery in his life than he had ever known and yet Fratello had been so close to ending his own life simply because of his wife leaving him.

_Let him rest  
Heaven blessed._

He wished truly and meaningfully that that child could be free from pain and free from suffering. He truly wished that that boy could be saved from the darkness of the world. He wanted to see him with a smile on his face every time they met. He wanted to see him glowing with happiness.

_Bring him home_

How he longed to have the boy there on the stage with him. How he longed to have the boy happily eating his pasta as he talked about his exploits. How he longed to have the child he thought so much of as a son to be happy and healthy as always.

_Bring him home  
_

He knew now that when the teen returned to Russia, he would be met with a dark life that could very well over come him again. He knew though, that he needed to return and that Tala would never find freedom if he knew his loved ones were still trapped in that world. He knew that this needed to happen. He knew it...but he despised it all the same.

_Bring him home.  
_

He truly wished he'd come back though. He'd come back and be better then he was before, would be better then ever before. He'd come back and be so strong and proud that there was nothing that could break his spirit. He wanted to see that boy become the child he was in the past that everyone celebrated.

_He's like the son I might have known  
If God had granted me a son._

He truly was. Luka 'Luca' Tala Valkov Ivanov was the boy that he had always wished he'd had. The boy he'd longed for but he'd never gotten. How funny, the night his wife had left was the same night that he met this child that his heart always craved for. He wished for that child's happiness, however it might come.

_The summers die  
One by one_

It had only been a few months. A few short months and he'd made such improvements. He had started to become more open and free and excited. He had started to be a child again. A child that he needed to be. No one could deny the change, and yet the time had flown. Now with this tragedy he was gone.

_How soon they fly  
On and on_

Time just kept rolling onwards, and as he sang he could only imagine the boy through his years. What was he like when he was a baby? What was it like living in the woods with a wolf as a guardian? What was it like to be named by a toddler? What did he look like as he grew? Who was he really as a child?

_And I am old  
And will be gone._

He knew his time on Earth was coming to a close. He was getting no younger, and he needed to think more about his health. He wasn't too badly off yet, but he wasn't doing well either. He was doing just alright, and he needed to make sure that he stayed on the path of the good. Especially if he was going to wait for Tala to come back.

_Bring him peace  
Bring him joy_

It was all he wished for now. He wished only for that child's happiness. For that child and his loved one's happiness. He wanted to see them smile, those three children who were so close to one another. He wanted to see their friends smile. He wanted to see them grow up with bright faces. He wanted to be there for Luka and Anna's wedding if it ever came to that – which he assumed it would happen.

_  
He is young  
He is only a boy  
_

It was true. At sixteen years old, he was just barely a man. Age wise he was still a child. He may have acted like an adult most his life, but he was only a child. A young child who deserved the chance to act like a child. He deserved his freedom.

_  
You can take  
You can give  
_

God, he prayed as he sang, his mind fully hoping that this would be the truth that would occur. He truly wished for this. He truly wished for what he was singing to come true. This song would be his prayer and each night he would sing it. Each night he would wait for the boy to come home. Each night he would watch TV waiting for any news of the boy to come to him.

_Let him be  
Let him live  
_

This was all he wanted in life now. He didn't care about his broken marriage. He didn't care about anything. All he wanted was for this one wish to come true. His last dream on earth. His last hope that he needed to be fulfilled. In the play, Marius survived, so please let him survive now in real life.

_If I die, let me die  
Let him live  
_

He wanted his Marius to come back. He wanted his Eponine to survive. If he could rewrite the world he would do it in a heart beat. He would write those children's happiness. He would write those children's lives. He would write love and joy in them. He would save them all.

_Bring him home_

Please, he prayed, please do as I ask.

_  
Bring him home_

Anna, Luka, and Kai, bring them home and make their lives blessed.

_  
Bring him home. _


	8. Do You Hear The People Sing?

**Windstar: **Here we are at the end of all things. I hope you all really enjoy this update of The Pulse. This is the last chapter of them all, and so I hope you have enjoyed this segment. I will be posting Lies and Deceit up next week some time, so I hope you all enjoy it when it comes!

A special thanks to all of my reviewers, this isn't my favorite segment by far, but I still liked doing it. I hope you all have enjoyed it!

Disclaimer: same as always!

**Epilogue:**

Every day Damion Fratello walked by the little cottage that used to house the two runaways. Everyday he would be disappointed to see the lights still off and the door locked. Everyday he'd walk to the play house and look at the cast and shake his head. The two weren't back yet.

News of the two disappearing from Italy and the truth about who Luca was soon filled the playhouse. They could hardly believe it. No one said anything for a while, but then life moved on at a slow pace. Fratello found himself being the person everyone went to for news on the kids, but he didn't know anything. They never called him and never spoke to him again.

There was money wired into his account though, for cleaning purposes he'd supposed as he stared at the strange increase of numbers that appeared in his account. He didn't want to know how they managed to get into his account, he didn't particularly care. He soon opened a separate account and started transferring all the money into that account. He wouldn't waste a cent of it. He wouldn't even use one penny of it. It wasn't his in his opinion. He wouldn't accept the offering.

Eventually though, he found that the money just got wired to that new account. He laughed when he'd first seen it, he could hardly believe just how savvy the girl (he'd assumed it was Anna of course based on what she'd told him about what she did) was.

Twice a week he'd go to their home and clean it. He'd vacuum and mop and make sure everything was alright. He memorized the location of everything, and made sure that nothing was out of place whenever he went there. He made sure the server was in working order, though he never dared to turn it on.

Anna had taken all the blue prints with her. _Just in case. _She'd said, though he didn't understand what the Server was or how important it was, he knew that it was supposed to be a secret.

He sang his prayer each night like he had promised, and as the months faded, he found himself wondering faintly just when he was going to hear word about the teen.

Soon though, he found himself getting more and more depressed as dark nightmares assailed his dreams. He didn't know what was happening, and so his imagination was supporting scenarios for him. It terrified him. He woke up each night it occurred with fear in his heart and he found that he couldn't go to sleep afterwords.

He searched every newspaper and ever magazine that he could, and every once and a while he was gratified to find a picture of Tala in the beyblading articles. Soon the green room of the play house was starting to fill with various articles that were about their redheaded star.

Everyone was praying and wishing him good luck. Before the show each night there was a special tradition that was followed. A tradition that was soon dedicated to their two missing members. It was the least they could do since Fratello had explained loosely (he refused to go into to detail because he knew how sensitive the information was) just how important and dark the teens' job was. Everyone was praying for them.

This tradition though was called "Passing the pulse" and the rules were simple. The entire cast and crew would stand in one huge circle and hold hands with each other. Someone would start at the directors orders, and when you get a squeeze you give a squeeze. Soon the whole circle would be filled with this one pulse that was circling through them.

Every person that was involved would be apart of this heartbeat. They would be apart of this moment. They would have this moment shining through them. Everyone would experience a moment of oneness of beauty and truth. They went through it three times now though, instead of just once.

One time for the cast and for the crew, a pulse that beat within them to provide the unison and the beat that they needed to keep the ensemble together. That was what it had been originally, just one pulse beat that was sent between everyone.

The second time had been added on for Anna, the girl who had charmed everyone and had become the most celebrated Eponine Livorno had ever seen. Everyone prayed for her in that moment, wishing her happiness and wishing her health. Since she was not the celebrity that Tala was, she was not in the newspaper. They could only hope that she would be alright and that she wasn't in any danger.

The third time was for Luca. The redheaded child that with a small smile had melted the hearts of every one of them. He had arrived there broken and depressed, and he had left them with the power and strength that everyone was drawn to. That third time seemed to mean the most to everyone because to them, Luka was their hero. Their champion who was going to wash away the wrong in the world. Fratello himself requested the extra rounds, and everyone had agreed.

The Pulse was sacred, and it was something that everyone needed. When they get a squeeze they gave a squeeze back. It was their priority, and it was their mission.

Tala and Anna would not be forgotten.

He was flipping through various magazines when he came across Kai's picture, and he couldn't believe what he saw. He read the article, his mind taking in everything that he saw.

**Blade Breakers Continue Sweep**

**Heading to Russia for the World Championships!**

_By Natalia Luciano_

After taking the world by storm only a few months ago in China,

The Blade Breakers have once again showed the world what they're

made of by defeating the runner up team for the World Championships in America-

The All Starz!

Comprised of a mostly rookie team that no one's even heard of, this power house combination

is heading to Russia for the World Championships in just four months!

Kai Hiwatari is the team's captain, and some may recall him being

registered as a back up blader to the Russian Champions of the world:

The Demolition Boys.

This silent boy is an enigma in the Beyblading World. With the power

of his amazing Dranzer blade, he's taken the world by storm and everyone's

coming along for the ride. As Team Captain he's responsible for training his teammates

and it seems like he's doing a fine job of it too!

With him on the team, it's going to be one interesting match when the

Championships come up. We're look forward to seeing more great things from this

fiery blader in the future!

Next to the article were several full page pictures taken of Kai from the American Tournament. His blade at the ready, his eyes fierce, was the one that captured Fratello's eyes.

He could have been imagining it, but there in the crowds just passed Kai's left ear was a young blonde girl, her eyes down cast onto her laptop. She looked far too familiar for him to pass it up. If he didn't know any better, he could have sworn it was Anna.

So he took it to the green room and circled it. He posted it on the wall and he smiled. It was the first sign of the girl since she'd disappeared with Tala. As far as they knew, everything was going well.

Damion found himself deciding to embrace all that life had to offer him. He invited Giana Cioffi out for dinner one night, and she agreed. Her husband had died a few years before because of heart failure, and she'd been alone with her kids ever since. It wasn't really a romantic dinner though, and he realized that right away.

To him, Giana was just a very good friend. He didn't mind that it wasn't something more, he didn't particularly care. He just was happy to have some company now that the kids were gone.

The two were walking back home from the restaurant, when they passed by a fully lit cottage that used to be locked and dark to all the world. Damion froze, his eyes staring in shock at the sight. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Signore? What is it?" Giana asked in confusion as she looked at him.

"That...that's the kids' home." He said as he looked at the cottage. She looked at the lights in the window and the shadow of a young woman as it walked passed a curtain.

"Dios mios!" She whispered under her breath. Suddenly they were running towards the door, Damion flying up the front steps and into the doorway. It was unlocked and he threw it open.

Almost instantly his eyes narrowed in on a small child, no more then four years old with bronze hair and brown eyes who was staring at him with a terrified expression on his face. The man blinked in confusion, and when Giana rushed up to his side, she too couldn't help but stare at the boy. She blinked in dumb awe at the child, not sure what to say.

Then all of a sudden the boy was screaming at the top of his lungs, screaming louder and louder and saying something in a language that neither understood. From out of nowhere a brunette child around the same age as the first boy flew forwards and kicked Damion clear in the shin! The man yelped and reeled back, staring at the little pit bull who was punching at him with tiny fists that wouldn't do any good.

There was the sound of something crashing to the ground, and then hurried footsteps from the kitchen, and suddenly Adeline was there, her hair slightly out of place in her rush to run to see what was the matter. She took one look at the situation though and seemed to understand the problem immediately.

"Adrien no!" She shouted at the brunette who turned to look at her suspiciously, she scooped up the bronze haired child and then ordered Adrien to her side. The brunette frowned but did as he was told, walking towards her and slipping his hand into hers. "I'm so sorry M-Signore Fratello." She apologized as she breathed out an exhausted gasp of air. She was speaking in Italian for their benefit, but she'd still almost slipped up and spoken in French while addressing him she was so flustered.

"Donna Adeline, whatever is going on here?" He asked as he looked at the two boys that were clinging to her.

"I'm a babysitter!" She gasped out as she looked at the two. "This is Kiril and Adrien." She introduced. Then she looked at them and ordered them to say hello in Italian. They repeated it, but it seemed like they only did it grudgingly.

"Who are they exactly?" Giana asked as she looked at the children. She was still at a loss about the whole mess and nothing was getting cleared up at all.

"Kiril is Luka's blood brother, and Adrien was Kiril's roomate at the Abbey. A...a dear friend of Luka's lost his life trying to bring these two to safety...and Kai asked me to look after them for him while things were getting wrapped up. Anna suggested here-"

"Hod on one moment Donna, you said someone lost their life?" The director looked dumbfounded at this point and the girl winced, realizing she probably said too much. As she glanced down Kiril was looking sad about something, but it was Adrien who oddly enough had a blank expression on his face...eyes that showed that he knew so much and yet knew so little at the same time. He was almost a shadow as he stood beside her, fading into nothing. "What on earth is the Abbey?"

"Well my dear, I believe we have some things to explain to you hmm?" Damion said as he looked at the boys still in shock. Now that he knew the relation, it was obvious who Kiril took after. Even if they looked slightly different, it was clear that there was a resemblance.

The little boy struggled to get out of Adeline's hold, and yelled at her in Russian. She stared at him for a moment, and frowned, answering back calmly.

"What'd he say?" He asked in confusion, and she translated.

"He says I'm not allowed to talk about the Abbey." She sighed and placed him on the floor. She told the boys something and pointed to the room that Tala had used as a bedroom, and they grudgingly went into the room and closed the door.

"Well behaved little boys." Giana commented lightly, and the blonde Princess nodded, running a hand through her hair as she breathed out a tired sigh.

So she explained everything she could, leaving out the details that could prove fatal to her friends in Russia, and telling things as they were. The one thing she did explain in detail though, was the ball that everything had started at, for her at least, and for Mikhail too...the young man who had died not too long ago had started his journey at that ball where he'd met the girl he was destined to love but never have.

_It was snowing, something that wasn't all that rare considering where they were, but at the same time it was somehow more special then everything else because of the night. It was so beautiful. She was smiling as she danced around her room in her beautiful white ball gown. Her hair was done up all nice and she wore a tiara on her golden locks. _

_The door opened and her father was standing there with a great smile on his face. She looked at him and grinned brightly, curtseying to him out of respect. He offered her an arm and she took it, a smile planted on her face as she walked out the door with him. _

_They walked down the hall of the palace like building the ball was taking place in, and when they got to the doors that would lead to the dance floor, he kissed her hair and smiled at her. _

"_You're a woman tonight." He told her in French. She nodded enthusiastically, then corrected herself and settled for a petite grin. Not too far away Kai was being walked forwards by his grandfather. It would have been ideal if he had a mother to do it for him, but since he didn't, Voltaire had stepped in. _

_The two men met in the middle and shook hands before walking out of the room and down into the special floor where the guests were waiting. Kai was dressed to kill, and Adeline felt her face blush as she looked at the shiny tux that he was wearing. His long hair was pulled back out of his face and he looked stunning. He walked forwards and placed a flower around her wrist delicately. _

"_You look beautiful." He told her, his face blushing slightly. He was still slightly awkward around her sometimes, but she found it endearing all the same. Still, he said the words in her native tongue and she wouldn't be bested by that. She'd been studying for a while now to know how to say some words in his own language and though he was perfectly fluent in French, she wanted to share the common ground with him._

"_Thank you, you as well." She told him back in flawless Russian. A grin appeared on his face as he offered her his arm. There was a man announcing their names now, and she knew it was time to go. _

_Together they walked through the doors and the whole room applauded when they saw her and her stunning match. They walked gracefully down the stairs, and she found herself feeling like she was floating on a cloud._

_She looked around the room, the boys she'd met at the ISA building were all there, dressed to kill as well. They looked gorgeous, each and every one of them. Nearby was the boy she would later know was named Mikhail. He stood next to Tala and a few other teenagers who had been invited from the Abbey, and though she didn't know it then, he would be responsible for doing so much good in their fight to save the world. _

_Kai led the debutante down the stairs onto the floor and once they were in the middle he gracefully guided her into the beginning of a waltz position and slowly the music started up. The announcer was talking over everything, and soon the teenagers and the adults were matching up. _

_Who would have thought any differently, but somehow Tala ended up with Anna on his arm. The two of them dancing not too far away from Kai and Adeline. They were a beautiful couple, and Tala's stunning looks did nothing to stop heads from turning to stare at them as they moved as fluidly across the floor as the stars of the evening were. _

"_How you all meet?" She asked as she looked at Kai, she was stumbling slightly over the Russian she was trying to speak, but he couldn't help himself and smile. He knew it was probably rude, and she'd probably think he was making fun of her, but he couldn't stop it. She never spoke unless it was perfect and contained no flaws un grammar. Her slipping on the language she was struggling to learn was far too adorable for him. _

"_We met at the Abbey." He told her simply in her native tongue, knowing she wouldn't know the words if he'd tried his own. _

"_Anna too?" He shook his head at that, a secret dancing in his eyes._

"_No, Anna and that boy met tonight. He would have had no time to meet her outside of the Abbey." There was a warning in his voice, and she picked up on it instantly. He spun her around so she was looking at a dark looking man with purple hair. "His name is Boris Balkov, he's the Director of the Abbey, and no women are allowed to come close to his students. I daresay that this is the first time any of them have even been in the presence of a girl,let alone one as beautiful and graceful as yourself." She blushed deeply, but understood what he was trying to say. Tala and the others weren't supposed to know who Anna was, let alone have a relationship with her._

_Not too far away, Tala was grinning like a fool as he danced unabashedly with his brunette angel. He knew the steps to the song because it was what they'd been practicing for for weeks now. Under no circumstances were they allowed to make the Abbey look bad by dancing poorly. _

_Anna kept glancing around, but her eyes ended up on Boris the most. It was the first time they'd been in each others presence, and he kept staring at them darkly. She looked at her partner worriedly. He didn't seem to notice or to mind as he stared down at her with loving kindness._

"_He scares me." She told him softly, and he laughed slightly._

"_He scares everyone." He replied, stepping slightly closer to Kai as he continued the waltz. _

"_Is it okay for you to be dancing with me?" She whispered worriedly._

"_Of course it is, I don't even know your name, how could it be wrong?" He reminded her politely. _

"_Ah...it's Anna Jones." She introduced, feeling foolish for introducing herself to her boyfriend. He laughed. _

"_A pleasure Miss Jones, and I am Tala Ivanov." _

"_Ivanov? The son of Ivan hmm?" He grinned, knowing she was trying to make random conversation to avoid feeling foolish. "I'd heard that in 1897 the surnames of those in Russia came from a slight change to the first name of the male. Peter to Petrov, Igor to Egorov...Ivan to Ivanov."_

"_Actually my father's name is Nikoli," She blushed furiously, she'd known that too! "Though _his _father could very well have been named Ivan." He told her, smiling as she blushed all the harder. _

_They danced for a few more songs before stepping off the floor and heading towards the drink table. Tala served her a drink and she took it gratefully. After a few minutes of conversation, Boris appeared out of nowhere and requested his son's presence somewhere so that he could talk to him. Tala bowed like a gentleman to her before disappearing with the man, and she found herself alone in the hall by the punch. _

_Feeling silly just standing there, but knowing that one of the other Demolition Boys would be willing to dance with her if she asked, she set her glass down and walked towards them determidly. They were off to the side lines and not really getting involved, and a gaggle of girls were nearby trying to figure out who should ask who out first. They really were all fine specimens of the male species. The only problem was Ian...as short as he was it would be complicated to try to dance with him. He didn't really want to get involved either, he just stayed by his _brothers _and let them get all the attention._

_Before she could even make it over there though, Mikhail appeared out of nowhere and asked her to dance. He was blushing like mad and it was clear that it had taken all of his courage to do so. She smiled slightly. She didn't know who he was, and she thought that was better too. At least this way no one could tie her completely to the Demolition Boys._

"_Sure." She replied with a slight curtsey to his offered bow. He took her hand and led her back on the dance floor and the two began the dance._

"_Who's that dancing with her now?" Adeline asked as she watched the two. Kai glanced over, he hadn't been paying attention really, he'd been staring at his partner. His eyebrow raised slightly when he saw the other. _

"_I...think his name's Mikhail. He was a foster brother of mine when I was a child." Kai explained as he watched the two._

"_Was?" _

"_Ah, when my parents died he came to the Abbey with us so maybe he could still be considered my brother. I don't know where the other kids went though." He added with a shrug. _

_They eased a little closer to the couple to eavesdrop more then anything else. Adeline had giggled when she caught onto her partner's over protective nature towards his friends. Although they soon realized that it was completely harmless and that Mikhail was acting like quite the gentleman towards the girl. Anna seemed to be having an excellent time with him as well, and the two were laughing and talking like old friends in no time._

"_So you moved here from America?" He asked her as he spun her around. She nodded. _

"_Yeah, several years ago. Mr. Hiwatari looked after me for a little bit before I was adopted." She said as she motioned towards the man who was talking shop with Adeline's father. Business men never did know when to have fun. _

"_What's it like there?" _

"_Where? In America?" She asked, stunned._

"_Yeah, is it nice there?"_

"_I don't know if you could call it _nice_." She rolled her eyes. "In all honesty I like it here better, but my opinion's not the best one. I didn't get along with my parents very well and so when I ended up here and got adopted- my outlook on the world around me changed." Mikhail seemed to be drawn in by her words. _

"_You...didn't have a good relationship with them?" He asked softly as he stared at the girl he was holding close. _

"_No, not really. In fact, I'm only here because they abandoned me." She shrugged. "It used to bother me a lot, but now that I have a family that loves me, I don't think about it much." _

_Mikhail seemed so entranced by her words. He listened to her and asked her stunned questions that made her think about and answer. Everything she said was imprinted into his memory. He downloaded it all for review later. He listened and he kept on listening. _

"_My parents abandoned me too..." He whispered as he looked at her. "I was found on the streets by a kind woman who later adopted me."_

"_Similar situation, Mr. Hiwatari introduced me to my father." She said as she listened closely. _

"_I'm Kai's brother you know." He announced suddenly, blushing slightly. She blinked, she hadn't been expecting that._

"_Are you now?" She asked as she looked to the silver and blue haired boy who was dancing a little _too _close to them. She glared at him when he took a step that constituted as crowding and he grinned, getting the point and started to dance away. _

"_Yeah, I was adopted by his parents." He informed, not noticing the exchange at all. Then he paused. "It's my fault they're dead..." He whispered. She snapped her eyes up to him. They'd stopped moving and he'd stayed silent there, standing still as he seemed to be entranced in memories of the past. Anna placed a hand on his cheek and he looked up at her. _

"_Let's go talk somewhere." She invited, and he'd nodded. _

_Adeline didn't know what the two had talked about, and she'd said as much to the two she was telling the story to. She didn't know at all. Occasionally Kai would pass by the stairwell the two had hidden in so they could speak, and he'd make sure that they were alright. Once he'd said that Mikhail was actually crying and that Anna was holding him gently. _

_By the time Tala had returned to the party he was rather confused as to where his partner had vanished too. Kai passed along a message through the game of telephone that Anna was talking to Mikhail and that they needed to be left alone for a while. He'd nodded and went to get something to drink, not really concerned with it at all. _

_A few moments later he walked into the stairwell as well, interrupting the chat for only a few brief moments. Adeline could remember just seeing Tala handing two drinks of punch to the two teens and smiling slightly to them before disappearing out the door. _

"_Should he really be doing that? Won't that boy expect that Tala knows that girl?" She asked as she looked at Kai. Kai shook his head though._

"_Mikhail's one of us even if he doesn't want to admit it. He won't tell Boris anything regardless of what the content is. Besides, Mikhail loves Tala like a brother, he's not going to say something to Boris that'll put him in harms way." _

_Towards the end of the ball Mikhail and Anna appeared again, and Anna slipped from her new found friend's side and went to dance the rest of the night with Tala who not once asked about what they'd said to each other. She wouldn't tell him anyway. Whatever it was was their business and it wasn't for him to know if Mikhail didn't want to tell him. _

"Mikhail gave his life up and brought Kiril and Adrien out of the Abbey. He was trying to bring Luka's mother with him, but he wasn't able to and he went on ahead with the boys." She said at long last. She sighed and placed a hand on her forehead. "I was having dinner with Voltaire, Kai's grandfather, when I heard..." She bit her lip. "He never saw Anna again. He never got a chance to see her before she'd left for America with Kai.." There was more...so much more, but there was one little boy back there who wouldn't be able to handle hearing anything else about that man. They'd been very close, and his death was still hard on him.

"She was with Kai in America?" Damion asked as he caught onto that detail.

"Yes, she went with him as his intel officer, and they thought it would be safer for her to be away from Russia for as long as possible." She bit her lip, a tear rolling down her cheek. "It's four months...four months until the World Championships. Four months and he would have been free." She cried bitterly and Giana felt terribly out of place as she watched the sad tears as they rolled down the pretty blonde's face. The man moved forwards and placed an arm around her shoulders.

"You took the boys here because you thought they'd be safe?" He asked softly, and she nodded, looking up at him. "Well I'll be dammed if I let anything happen to those boys that that brave young man gave his life protecting. I'll help you."

And he did.

For four months the man came to Anna and Luka's house and slowly started to help adapt the toddler children to their new environment. He struggled to learn some Russian so he could communicate better with the children. He brought them to the play house and everyone lavished them and spoiled them rotten with everything.

They were the apples of the actors' eyes. They were like little mini mes of their friends long gone. It was refreshing to see them. Kiril took after his brother and when he started to pick up on the language it was obvious that the two were related. They talked the same and acted the same and had the same manner of behaving. Adrien was everyone's cuddle bug. People would pick him up and cuddle him senseless and the little boy would hug their necks and be content and happy for it.

He was a tiger when people messed with Kiril though. The so called Prince's guard dog he wouldn't let anyone near him who he didn't approve of. Even if he was tiny, he was most certainly going to be a pit bull when he got older.

Soon he earned the nickname of Gavroche due to the part in Les Miserables where the character of that name sang about little people:

_  
And little people know  
When little people fight  
We may look easy pickings  
But we've got some bite  
So never kick a dog_

_Because he's just a pup  
We'll fight like twenty armies  
And we won't give up  
So you'd better run for cover  
When the pup grows up!  
_

It was easy enough to see the boy was going to have some bite to him when he got older, and Kiril knew it too. Sometimes people would see him purposefully throw a fit so Adrien would come to the rescue.

Time passed at the play house, and everyone was waiting anxiously as news about the Blade Breakers arriving in Moskva started to circulate. Then one evening Adeline arrived at Fratello's home looking frantic.

"Signore could you please look after the boys I need to go to Russia!" She said holding each boy in her arms. He nodded and told her it was no problem, and before he could ask what for she was gone.

Only a day or so later she arrived with another child from the Abbey. A brunette eleven year old boy named Alessander who was quiet and withdrawn. Unlike the toddlers who didn't seem to have been affected by the Abbey yet, this boy most certainly was. He kept looking at everyone like they were beneath him and he seemed to hold them all in contempt.

At the same time though he was easily afraid and he was more skittish then he felt like he should be. Fratello discovered soon after their arrival that this boy had been slated for death and that the ISA had swooped in and saved him. Adeline had flown back to Russia to get him and bring him back to Italy where he could be safe. When he'd first walked through the door though, he'd stared at Kiril and reeled back in shock and horror.

"That's Kiril! That's Prince Kiril! You've kidnapped the Prince!" He accused as he pointed at the child. The toddler hopped to his feet, recognizing the title and the language as his own and instantly being drawn into the conversation. By now Fratello had been able to pick up on much of the language as well and looked at Adeline in confusion.

"Prince?" He asked in awe.

"If Boris takes over the world, Kiril will be seated as the heir to the throne and be the Prince of the World." She informed as she frowned at the boy who was staring at the child like he was a pay day.

"If I tell Boris where he is, I'll be able to go back!" He said as he looked around frantically for a phone. Adeline caught him though and forced him to be still.

"Listen here you little fool! You will be doing no such thing. I will tie you up if I have to for the rest of the week to stop you from doing so if I have to!" She said forcefully.

"I can go back! I'll be fine! No need to bother _you _lady!" He hissed. She glared at him.

"You do understand that if you go back there, with that boy or not, you will still be killed? It's only a matter of time. Now sit down and help them with their puzzel!" She ordered as she pointed to where the toddlers and Fratello had been working on a five hundred piece puzzel.

Properly chastised the boy growled but did plop down next to them.

They watched the tournament every night. They didn't miss one minute of it. They watched as Kai switched teams for a time. They watched as the bitbeasts of the world were collected. They watched as Kai switched back. All the while there were no conversations, no information, nothing.

They watched as Kai lost rather pathetically to Spencer. They watched as Bryan beat the crap out of Rei. They then watched as Rei made a recovery and defeated Bryan for all he was worth. Then they watched Tala.

Calm impassive Tala who so calmly just let Tyson destroy him. He barely batted an eye, he just moved on as though everything was under control. They watched as the second match seemed unnecessarily drawn out until it finally came to a climatic end where Tala released every bitbeast that he had collected and allowed them all to return to their proper owners by Tyson knocking his blade down.

They celebrated and cheered excitedly at the thought of how Boris was overthrown. Almost instantly news reports came flooding in on how Boris was arrested at the Tournament. Reporters were everywhere, trying to figure out what was going on and why he was arrested. Anna got a cameo as she brushed passed the reporters on her way to a van. When of course, someone caught the terrifying scene that shock the people of Livorno Italy to the core.

Kai stepped out of the building, his hair whipping out around him. For the first time in a long while he looked truly peaceful. Damion found himself smiling slightly at the sight. He looked totally at ease with the world. Like a great load had been lifted off his shoulders. Tyson ran up behind him, his face plastered with that annoying smile of his, his hands swinging wildly. Kai allowed the hug that was coming, he knew he couldn't avoid it anyway.

"Happy...he looks happy." Adeline murmured with a smile as she looked at the news reporter's secret find as the camera was fixed on the team.

Kai had glanced back at the Bladebreakers. They were going to head back to the hotel; that was all that was left. After that the award ceremony…but with the police heading over to arrest Boris at that particular moment he doubted the ceremony would take place for a few days. He couldn't help but let the mask fade just enough to let out a pleasant smile. Everything had worked out perfectly.

Suddenly there was snow falling directly above Kai's head, and the teen looked up at it. The reporter said something but no one really was paying attention, all eyes were on the gorgeous enigma who was standing there getting snowed upon. There wasn't any snow anywhere else, just…above him. He frowned and stepped to the left. The snow hesitated, but then followed him. He glanced up, but there was nothing there. Just…snow. He looked back at his teammates. They looked equally perplexed, but then and he laughed slightly, ignoring the stunned looks on the new champions' faces. He looked around, and caught sight of the boy who was clearly responsible.

"Luka!" Damion announced when he saw the teen standing across the street from his brother. He looked fantastic. Red hair was tied back into a ponytail at the base of his neck; and a long white coat was over a dark blue shirt and jeans. He was smiling, care free and ecstatic, and Kai looked up at the snow that was above him. He laughed. He couldn't help himself. Across the street was a boy who had finally earned his freedom after a lifetime of imprisonment. Above him was snow that was impossible and yet magical at the same time, and behind him were four stunned boys who couldn't believe what they were seeing.

Kai was actually laughing and the red head was laughing too. He was giggling with delight, and above him was snow as well. Donned in those clothes that were brand new and a smile that could go on for miles, the other boy spun in a circle, glee echoing off every part of his body.

"What's going on?" The reporter asked, but before the cameraman could answer the newly dubbed champion was shouting across the street.

"How does it feel, Luka?" Kai called over, taking a step towards the street. His teammates watched in confusion as the snow followed him. They still couldn't understand it. The red head looked up, blue eyes shining with love and a light that could not be diminished.

"It feels-" Screeching tires cut the scene abruptly. The snow stopped; the blade that had been dancing in the middle of the street – completely run over. Horror crossed the boys' faces. The red head looked at the car that was going straight towards him. He didn't have time to get out of the way, the pedal was pressed down.

"Oh dear God!" The reporter screamed. Damion felt his heart stopping in his chest as he stared in horror at the scene that was playing out before him. Adeline just managed to grab the two toddlers and thrust their faces away from the screen, but nothing could stop the sound.

"LUKA!" The boy just managed to meet Kai's gaze before the car prepared itself to impact itself with the teenager who had been dancing with joy not two minutes ago.

Everything happened very quickly. Luka, jumped higher then a normal person would even think about jumping, and landed gracefully on the roof of the car that had so purposefully attempted to crush him. He winced as a bullet shot up through the roof and nearly took off his foot. Rolling to the side he fell from the car and quickly attempted to scuttle across the street to some form of safety in the Arena (or with Kai, either one would work).

The reporter was screaming, trying to figure out what was going on as the cameraman struggled to keep up with everything that was happening. In Italy all of the actors and actresses were staring horrified at the television. They were all staring at the set, praying that everything would be alright.

He didn't make it across the street though, the car slammed backwards and he had to twirl to the side to avoid another attempted collision. Adrenaline seeped into his blood and he turned and ran. Behind him the car followed, eager to kill its victim, and ignorant to the fact that a very pissed off teen was in close pursuit.

"Dear God what's happening?" Damion whispered under his breath. He tried to keep Alessander from watching the sight, but he didn't get very far because the eleven year old shoved him out of the way to see.

"Sacré bleu..." Adeline looked like she was going to hyperventilate.

Kai was running as fast as he could, the cameraman struggling to keep up. Luka was dissapearing in front of them. He shot forward though, forcing himself to run faster. He was almost out of sight of the camera when a car pulled up beside him. He stared at it for a moment before throwing open the door and climbing inside the drivers seat. Then they were gone and the camera lost all sight of them.

"I don't know what's going on here but did you get all that?" The reporter asked as she looked back at the camera.

The people of Livorno Italy were screaming at the lady to get her act together and follow the shooter that was chasing after the frantic sixteen year old, but there was no such luck.

For hours they kept the television on. It took Adeline ages to get the toddlers to bed, and she didn't even try on Alessander. There would be no way to keep that boy down. With promises that she'd wake them if something came up, she forced the boys to sleep and went back to the living room where Alessander and Fratello were staring at the set.

A reporter was now in the hospital announcing news on the shooting.

"Just fifteen minutes ago, the young redhead that was shot at outside of the beyblading arena was taken inside of this hospital. Reports now say that the sixteen year old victim was in fact Tala Ivanov. The former world champion is said to be in critical condition, and arrived here by the help of his team and the captain of the current world champions, Kai Hiwatari. No more information is known at this time, though family and friends are awaiting news of the blader's health anxiously. All the beyblading champion teams of the world seem to have gathered in the waiting room to await any news that may follow."

Fratello looked up at Adeline with worried eyes as she bit her lip. "Did you get through to Kai?" He asked as he looked at her. She shook her head.

"I didn't expect there to be, if he's been chasing after gunmen and the like I doubt he had time to answer his cell phone." She told him quietly. Alessander was staring at the screen like it's word was gospel. "Xander, I think you should you should go to bed." She repeated again, but he shook his head, ignoring the nickname and staring onwards.

So the wait went on. They stayed vigil around the television and waited, watching the screen in hopes of getting any news. It was terribly late at night when finally a call came into their home. By this point, most of the actors and actresses had congrugated at the runaways' home to wait with them, and everyone looked up anxiously when the call came.

Adeline answered the phone quickly, and breathlessly she called out Kai's name.

"What's going on? Is Luka alright?" She asked worriedly. "The news-"

"I know Adel, I know. He's fine. He lost a bit of blood but that's what I'm here for right?" He snickered slightly and she scowled.

"That's not funny Sacha!" She used his birth name to purposefully annoy him, she was furious enough as it was that he was making jokes while she was so worried. Although her words seemed to relax the audience who were waiting anxiously for news. If Kai was making jokes then things weren't as bad as they seemed.

"I'm sorry Adel," He told her gently. "He was shot in the back, and he ended up getting half drowned in Moskva Lake, but other then that, he's doing fine. He woke up and started making jokes just a little while ago." He sounded exhausted. "I heard there was a news footage of what happened and I figured you'd be worried. How are the boys?" He asked as he remembered the children must have been watching too.

"Everyone's fine, I put the little ones to sleep, Xander's being stubborn." She continued as she glanced at the boy who frowned. He held up his hand, he wanted to talk to Kai too. All the while she'd been speaking in Italian for the benefit of the people in the room, and Kai had been knowledgeable enough to answer in kind.

"Are there a lot of people there?" He asked softly, his voice now sounding completely spent. She could imagine him leaning against the wall of the hospital with a cup of coffee in his hand. In the background she heard Anna's voice saying something to him.

"Yes, the whole cast and crew."

"Didn't know that many people could fit into that tiny house." He mumbled. She cracked a grin.

"We're kind of on top of each other."

"Kinky."

"Kai!" She'd never heard him say something like that ot her before and he apologized quickly enough.

"Sorry! I'm tired!" He whined before shaking his head. "Put me on speaker phone there's a girl here who's nagging me to say a few words." She nodded and took the phone away from her ear and pressed the speaker button. Everyone in the room fell silent as she held it out for all to hear.

"You're on speaker phone." She announced, and then Anna's voice filled the room.

"Hey everyone." The girl said briefly, and almost instantly there was a clamor as everyone reacted to her voice.

"Anna! Is that you?" Everyone was so excited to finally here some news from the source that they called out random questions she couldn't possibly keep up with as they fought to hear her talk.

"Yeah, me too..." A tired voice spoke up, it sounded completely lethargic and weak, but it was no doubt Luka's.

"The dipshit gets shot and laid out in the hospital and the first thing he decides to do is make a phone call to Italy." A snarky voice came from somewhere in the hospital room. It was said in Italian so it was obviously meant for them all to hear, and they blinked, trying not to laugh as Tala whined back.

"Hey, it was not the _first _thing I decided to do. If I remember correctly, I yelled at a few idiots first."

Damion looked up at Adeline who was struggling not to laugh.

"Who was that?" He asked politely, and before she could answer the person introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you good Signore, I am Tala's bestest friend in the whole wide world-"

"You're a conceited ass that's what you are." Tala muttered he coughed slightly and then was a crash.

"Bryan! You're going to get us all thrown out knock it off!" Another voice shouted and there seemed to be some kind of rukus going on.

"Jesus Christ-" This was now obviously Anna who was shouting at them all in Russian because she honestly didn't want her Italian friends to pick up on what was being said. Alessander though laughed extremely hard and Adeline looked like she was about to pass out she was blushing so deep. Fratello who could pick up on a few of the words she was saying stared at the phone bug eyed. He couldn't believe those words had left her face. There was silence on their end, and then Anna continued on in the neutral language everyone knew. "Now, introduce yourselves politely." She ordered.

"Good evening Signores and Signorinas-" This was Bryan again, and once more something seemed to be the problem.

"They're not children Bryan!" Anna hissed, referring to the young title he'd used for the women.

"I know that, but all ladies are beautiful young women at heart despite with their physical age may be, how can I dare call them Signoras when I know they truly they are budding beauties at the prime of their youth in reality?" Someone was laughing and all the women in Italy were blushing furiously at the charming words.

"Such a shmoozer Bryan." Tala murmured with a laugh, his voice still quiet but it was obvious that he was making an effort for their benefit.

"Ah, I am but a common man embrassing the truth all men should follow, women are to be treasured-"

"You had no problem knocking me flat on my back two years ago when I cut in line at the cafeteria..." Anna muttered, her voice quiet and accusitory.

"Well Anna, I don't know how to tell you this, but you're not exactly a woman-" There was a crash and a yelp. "You're claimed!" The boy continued as he apparently out maneuvered whatever was going on in the room. "Tal' would kill me if I tried to flirt with you. You're kind of one of us anyway."

"One of what?!"She shouted, clearly not amused. Suddenly a much older adult voice cut in, speaking in Russian, and several voices said the same thing in unison. Alessander bravely translated for them. The nurse was warning them that they were disturbing her patient's rest, and they had all replied that they were very sorry and that they would be quiet from there on out.

"My name is Spencer." Someone continued, ignoring Bryan who was oddly quiet for some reason.

"And I'm Ian!" The last person introduced. Kai finally spoke up.

"Now that we've sufficiently made my phone bill go up to over a hundred dollars this month, can we get on with this show, I'm sure the good people of Livorno don't want to here you all bickering."

"Right, well, I originally wanted to talk to you all and say that we're sorry for making you all worry like that and that we're fine, all of us." Anna started, but was once again cut off before she could continue.

"Nah, you wanted us to meet your friends too right Anya?"

"Bryan, knock it off would you, I'd like to get to sleep sometime this month." Tala growled lowly, and instantly the boy was silent. He continued on since Bryan seemed to listen to him better then Anna. "Sorry about if things seemed hectic on the news, it's worse then it sounds everybody, I'm actually fine."

"We all saw you nearly get hit by a car Luca!" Giana stated as she got closer to the phone.

"Yeah, sorry you had to see that. It wasn't my best moment to be sure." He sighed heavily. "If it makes you feel better the people who did it are all in jail or something like that. Some ISA people came and took care of them I don't know what happened really." Damion frowned. Everyone in that room could be counted as an ISA person...any one of them could have taken the matter into their own hands and the teen was just covering up for it expertly.

The bedroom door opened down the hall, and Adeline looked up to see a bleary eyed Kiril standing there rubbing the sleep from his brown eyes. He was walking forwards, mumbling something in Russian. Alessander jumped up and moved to him, answering the boy and going to move him back into the room. Oddly helpful considering how he had been acting the past few days.

"Kiril?" Tala's voice instantly took on the accented quality it did whenever he spoke his native tongue. The little boy blinked and looked around in confusion.

"It's alright Xander let him come over, he's awake already." Adeline told him, and the brunette nodded and helped the child over to the phone.

"Luka?" He asked in confusion as he looked about the room.

The teen started speaking in Russian now. He knew, just as everyone else in that room did, that Kiril understood very little Italian and he wouldn't be too receptive to being prattled on in a language he didn't understand yet.

"Hey buddy." He said softly, and Adeline took the phone off speaker mode and pressed it to Kiril's ear, giving him the privacy he deserved. Even if only Alessander and herself would understand every word spoken, it wasn't right to eavesdrop on the teen's conversation.

She did here the child's sleepy words as he rubbed his eyes and talked back, still trying to understand how the phone worked. He didn't seem to get it, but he accepted that it worked all the same.

"When can I go home Luka?" He asked wearily in his native tongue. He yawned and scratched his hear slightly as he listened. "Can I see mama then?" There was a long pause and the boy frowned slightly. "Why not?" He yawned again. "What about after that...can I see mama after that?" Fear started bubbling in Adeline's heart as she raised a hand to her heart.

Kai had told her that situations with Marina Valkov were tenuous at best. If she was dead...would a four year old be able to understand that? Would Kiril be able to accept that? She felt tears forming in her eyes. Even Damion seemed to pick up on the direction the conversation was taking. Alessander bit his lip, looking away. He knew it better then everyone else.

"Xander...Kiril's mother...? She whispered to him in Italian. He looked back.

"She wasn't doing good last I heard...Boris was real mad about something and there were a lot of calls to the infirmary...rumor leaked out saying that his wife was there..." He said biting his lip. "None of us knew he had one, even though we knew Kiril was his kid. We didn't...you know..._know_." He looked away as the sleepy four year old continued his conversation with his brother.

"Okay...so I see _you _soon?" He asked as he tried to stay upright. The brunette Russian steadied him, looking down at the child. "Okay...what's that?" He looked up at Adeline. "He says to give the phony to you." He said as he raised it up to her. She took it and she motioned to Xander.

"Put him back to bed before Adrien worries alright?" He nodded and picked up the child.

"Come on little Prince." He said as he carried the boy away.

Tala and Anna both talked to the rest of them for a little while, assuring them all that everything was going to be alright and they'd be there as soon as they could. Everyone accepted that and they hung up the phone.

It took two weeks though, before there was sign of the car driving through Livorno that was heading straight for the cottage where the three Russians and Adeline were staying.

Tala had bandages wrapped around his chest still, but he didn't particularly care. He hid it all under his clothes and when him and his whole team got out of his car, he was met at the door by an excited four year old that flew into his arms.

"Luka, Luka you came back for me!" He shouted out in his native tongue. The redhead held him despite the discomfort with his injury, and he smiled into the boy's hair.

"I told you I would silly." He told the boy gently.

Adeline rushed out and Kai pulled her into his arms, hugging her for all she was worth.

"Thanks for looking after the kids, love." He told her as he held her close.

"Not a problem." She replied, breathing a sigh of relief into his hair. It had been far too long since they'd been together.

Then, there in the doorway was Damion Fratello. He stood there, looking at the redhead with a loving smile, his arms held wide, and despite the fact he was holding Kiril in his arms, despite the fact that he had been shot, the redhead rushed up the stairs and gave the man a hug that just exuded how much he truly cared for him.

"How have you been Jean?" He asked as he looked at the man that had come to mean so much to him and now his family over the past year or so.

"I've been doing well Marius, and how is my lovely Eponine?" He asked, and quickly the girl flew up the stairs to get involved in the group hug as well.

"What about me?! I want some love too!" A voice called out, and Damion looked up to stare at the three new teens who were standing awkwardly behind Kai and Adeline.

"Ah...Signore Fratello, this would be Bryan and my two friends Spencer and Ian." Tala introduced lightly.

"What do you mean by that Luka? Am I not your friend anymore?" The falcon blader asked, looking rather hurt by the whole thing.

"Of course not Bryan, why would you think that?" The redhead asked, rolling his eyes.

For now, the healing was over. Everything was done with. Everyone was where they should be and where they needed to be. Damion, a man from that forth onwards he called Papa _Jean _Fratello, became a huge part of their family. He became the father to the boys that they'd needed as they got through their lives.

Kiril and Adrien referred to him as "Nonno" or grandfather in Italian. Alessander even called the man his Uncle at times. Those three boys became very close. Xander becoming much of an older brother figure to them as they grew up under the Demolition Boys rule at the F-5 complex that had been built for them.

Adeline and Kai's relationship remained tenuous at best, and even when they were in their mid twenties they still had trouble truly describing it. The two would never loose touch with each other though, and they always admitted a deep and strong love that ran between them.

As for Anna and Tala, well, their relationship was more complicated then even Adeline and Kai's...and that's a story best left for another day.

One thing more they did take from the play house and Italy. Besides the taste of true pizza and the excitement of learning how to swim, and the feelings of a true family, and a home that they could call their own. Besides the love and warmth and healing that Livorno always stood for in their lives. Besides the friends that they'd made and the memories that they'd keep. Besides the Pulse that would run through them uniting them all as one unified family and group. One body and soul that was beating and living for a future that would dawn before them. One last thing they took from it all.

A song, a song that would become the anthem for the Fortune Five-Hundreds and their successors. A son that would be the embodiment of everything those children and their friends and families felt for what had happened in those six long years of working for the ISA in order to bring an end to Balkov Abbey. This song would be their last memory of everything that had happened to them. This song would be their last stand. The official Anthem of the F-5 campus, and the closing words to this tale, this song marched on, passing the pulse forever more into generations of children who would not fall into the darkness of the Abbey anymore.

_Do you hear the people sing?  
Singing a song of angry men?  
It is the music of a people  
Who will not be slaves again!  
When the beating of your heart  
Echoes the beating of the drums  
There is a life about to start  
When tomorrow comes!_

_Will you join in our crusade?  
Who will be strong and stand with me?  
Beyond the barricade  
Is there a world you long to see?  
Courfeyrac:  
Then join in the fight  
That will give you the right to be free!_

_ALL  
Do you hear the people sing?  
Singing a song of angry men?  
It is the music of a people  
Who will not be slaves again!  
When the beating of your heart  
Echoes the beating of the drums  
There is a life about to start  
When tomorrow comes!_

_Will you give all you can give  
So that our banner may advance  
Some will fall and some will live  
Will you stand up and take your chance?  
The blood of the martyrs  
Will water the meadows of France!_

_Do you hear the people sing?  
Singing a song of angry men?  
It is the music of a people  
Who will not be slaves again!  
When the beating of your heart  
Echoes the beating of the drums  
There is a life about to start  
When tomorrow comes! _


End file.
